Remnant Empire
by crionics99
Summary: Someone has united the crime teams, reorganising them to create Rocket United. Every major city and town in the entire world has been placed under Rocket United's martial law, and an eighteen-year-old Misty rushes to Pallet Town, desperately seeking out Ash and Professor Oak.
1. Unexpected Allies

Gary's legs were burning with lactic acid. His Pokémon were safely retreated to their Pokéballs, which he was still surprised by even as he sprinted away. It wasn't his choice, but even Gary Oak couldn't fight a dozen Golem, even with his legendary Blastoise by his side. There was nothing he could do but run away as fast as he possibly could.

_Man, I wish Ash was here. Then we'd be able to fight these bastards together. But by myself?_

He was only a few hundred yards from the military checkpoint, and they were waiting for him. Everyone knew Gary Oak, even the soldiers. But not even Gary commanded enough respect to get them to run out into what was effectively enemy lines to save him. Not from this. Team Rocket was too fearsome. It was guaranteed loss of life even stepping a single foot beyond the barriers set up by the army's Mr Mimes.

As he approached within fifty feet, one of the Mr Mimes dropped a single barrier, only a couple of feet off the ground, and Gary prepared to dive through it. Even as he thought out the plan to himself, he heard what he feared the most at that particular point in time.

"Golems! All use Rollout! Crush that pathetic insect!"

Gary's eyes widened in horror as he felt the ground shake beneath him. He could hear the rumbling getting closer and closer as the moonlight glinted off the barriers, from right to left as he got nearer. Just as he was about to turn around and gauge how much time he had, he felt a vine wrap around his waist, tightening and then yanking him forwards, causing him to fall flat on his chest before being involuntarily winched through the gap in the barriers.

"Nice work, Vileplume," came the encouraging remark from a pretty sounding young lady on the other side.

Gary stood up as the vines unravelled and retreated, dusting himself off and trying his best to appear nonchalant about the whole thing. He looked up to see Erika, the world-famous Celadon City Gym Leader.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he smirked lopsidedly. "I owe you one."

"One?" she quipped. "That's gotta be about twenty by now, Gary. Even Ash doesn't get this many favours from me these days."

"Speaking of which, where is he anyway? We really could use his help out here."

Erika shrugged, suddenly looking flustered, helpless, and from what Gary could tell, sort of annoyed.

"Nobody knows where he is," she explained. "Even Misty and Professor Oak don't know. He disappeared with Brock into some ridiculously remote part of the world after his last League quest, and nobody can find him. We're on our own."

"Dammit!" Gary yelled, stamping his right foot, and subsequently startling Erika's Vileplume. "Even if he would just let us use his Pokémon…but we can't even do that!"

"I know…" Erika trailed off sadly. "All the same, I hope he's okay, wherever he is. He can't help us if he's dead."

"He can't help us if he's alive, either," Gary snapped. "Forget this, I'm outta here."

As Gary walked off towards Pallet Town, Erika ran to catch up to him.

"And just where the hell do you think you're going?" she cried out angrily. "We _need_ you, Gary!"

"So does Gramps!" he replied quickly, almost before she'd finished speaking. "And I think I might have a way to help, but I need Misty."

Erika frowned, her hands on her hips in frustration.

"What could you possibly need with her that could be more important than this?"

"Just trust me, okay?" he assured her. "I have a plan."

"Well at least keep me updated," Erika sighed. "I'll try to explain it to everyone here."

Gary winked back at her as he ran off towards Viridian Forest, but that just made Erika more nervous.

"That arrogance is going to get him hurt one day," she said, sighing again.

"Don't worry, ma'am," one of the sergeants replied. "That kid is as tough as they come, and he's got the brains to back it up. If anyone can come up with something, it's him."

"I hope you're right," Erika said, a tear rolling down her porcelain cheeks. "I just hope I see him again."

* * *

Misty ducked behind a brick fence as a figure in black strode past on patrol. She breathed as quietly as she could, not sure if her panting would give her away. It was night time now, and the curfew was in effect, making it almost impossible to move about. The curfew had been in place for about two months now, the last time Misty checked, and she thought that in Pallet Town things would be a little quieter. But she was very wrong. This kind of pressure was being put on people all over the world, and she had no idea how or why. Being a gym leader, she was privy to some information that most ordinary citizens weren't, but she still didn't know everything.

Team Rocket had somehow managed to install themselves into every major city, every large and even small town seemingly in the entire world, with enough troops and strong Pokémon to hold everyone effectively to ransom. It didn't seem possible. Just a few short years ago, Team Rocket was no more. They'd disbanded yet again after another unsuccessful comeback attempt, and this time it appeared to be permanent. Splinter groups still occasionally terrorised at random, but they were sloppy and usually led by a selfish, impulsive wannabe, having not much more than a recycled name and some old uniforms to prove they were related with the once-feared gangsters at all. They were never as organised as this. Misty hadn't seen anything like it, not even in the days of Team Rocket proper.

As the Rocket patroller moved out of earshot, Misty made a dash for it, sprinting as quickly and quietly as she could towards Oak's lab – the one place in Pallet town that even the Rockets seemed afraid to go after. She had to duck behind a few more bushes and tall fences, but after around fifteen minutes she'd reached Oak's front yard.

Sighing a breath of relief, she squatted behind a tall bush near Oak's front door. She could see the intercom, and she hoped that Professor Oak was listening on the other end, and wasn't stupid enough to reply through it. Crossing her fingers, she looked around for any sign of a Rocket patrol. Seeing no one, she carefully stood up and held down the 'talk' button.

"Professor! It's Misty! Misty Waterflower! Please open up before someone sees me!" she whispered as loudly as she dared.

It seemed like an eternity before she heard any kind of acknowledgement. She watched the door closely for any sign that it was being opened or unlocked, waiting to step through at a moment's notice. She could hear footsteps coming from the direction of the road, not too far away. _Come on, Professor…please open up,_ she thought to herself, nervous sweat beginning to bead on her forehead.

"_And how can I be sure this isn't some sort of trick?"_ came the excruciatingly loud reply through the intercom. Misty almost leapt into the air in fright. She ducked down behind the bush again, peering out towards the road, expecting to see a Rocket patroller walking past with a massive Nidoking or something. No one walked past, although she could still hear the footsteps. She could feel her famous temper quickly rising to the surface, kept at bay only by the knowledge that it would almost certainly get her killed if she couldn't control herself. Very carefully, she stood up again and pressed the 'talk' button once more.

"Listen to me, old man," she scolded as quietly as possible. "There are patrollers out here and they'll spot me if you yell into this thing again. So why don't you open the door, nice and quiet, before I kick the fucking thing down and invite them all inside?"

She heard the door click unlocked, and after checking for patrollers once more, she quietly opened the door and stepped inside. As soon as she closed it behind her she heard it lock again, which startled her slightly. She'd never known Oak to be so paranoid. _Desperate times_, she shrugged to herself as she made her way to the sitting room.

"Sorry about that," Oak chuckled. "Can't be too sure about anything at the moment."

"Right," Misty agreed half-heartedly. "It's fine, Professor. I guess I just thought you'd recognise my voice by now."

"We definitely recognised the attitude," came a familiar voice from a dark corner of the room. An almost goofy-sounding voice that she knew very, very well.

"…can't be…" she muttered to herself.

"Oh yes it can," came another familiar voice, this one far more distinctive. "Good to see you again, _twoip_. I never thought I'd say that."

"_You!_" Misty growled, stomping her way over towards the dark corner, just as the light flicked on, revealing James and Meowth.

"Hold it, Misty," Oak interrupted. "I invited them in. They had nowhere else to go. They're here to help us."

"_Help?!_" she spat in utter disbelief. "These two morons made my life hell for _years_! How can you possibly trust them?"

"We're not lying," James insisted, his index finger raised as if to clarify his point. "I know that could be interpreted as a lie…and it would be very – _us_ – but it's the truth. We're in this just as bad as the rest of the world."

"Yeah, kid. We're on your side this time," Meowth chimed in with what Misty swore was actual sincerity, although she's been fooled by them before and knew better than to trust them on their word alone.

"If you're _really_ on our side, why don't you explain what the _hell_ is going on then?" Misty yelled, arms folded, her high-top sneakers tapping softly and impatiently on Oak's rug-covered hardwood floor.

"Well you're a gym leader, so I'm sure you know the basics already," Meowth began, "so I'll skip to the guts of it. Jessie's gone mad and taken over Team Rocket. She's united all the other crime teams and they're calling themselves Rocket United. Giovanni's disappeared, and Jess wants to do some horrible stuff."

"That doesn't explain why you're here and not with her," Misty replied skeptically.

"She's killed people," James answered solemnly. "We're not exactly good people, but we're not _that_ bad."

"Yeah, we're more on the step-on-people-for-personal-profit type of bad," Meowth agreed. "Not the I'll-kill-anyone-who-gets-in-my-way type."

Misty had to admit, they had a point. At no time in their long-running feud with the three Rockets had James and Meowth ever proven themselves to be homicidal. Annoying and selfish, perhaps. But definitely not in the vein of actual murder.

"We confronted Jessie when we found out that she'd killed the president of Silph Co. That's when she turned on us," James continued.

"'Leave it to me', she said," Meowth elaborated. "'I'll take care of everything. He'll give us what we need, or he'll suffer'. We shoulda stopped her when we had the chance. But we had no idea she was actually gonna kill the guy."

"We didn't want to be a part of that," James went on, "so we told her she'd gone too far, that she had to stop before it got completely out of hand."

It was then that Misty noticed that James' hair had grown considerably, and was very knotted and messy. She knew James prided himself on his looks; this was totally out of character for him. He brushed one side of his hair back to reveal a heavily scarred cheek and forehead, like it had been burned.

"Oh my – what….what happened to your face?" Misty asked in shock.

"Jess went loco when we confronted her," Meowth explained, turning around to show her his own burns, covering most of his back. Misty raised a hand to her mouth and let out a small yelp in surprise.

"She burned us both with a Magmortar. We bolted as soon as she left the room. The chains were superheated so we just busted our way out. It didn't tickle, but at least we got to safety. We didn't know where else to go, so we came here. It's strange though, you don't realise how much you need your wrist-skin until it's been burned off."

"I'm so sorry," Misty sobbed, her voice quivering. "That's so awful, I don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll help us stop Jessie," James said with fortitude, "We can't let her win. Everyone will suffer. We can't let that happen."

"And if you wouldn't mind, maybe get the other_ twoips_ together too? We'd make a really formidable team if we all group up." Meowth added.

Misty sighed and slumped her shoulders. "I don't know where anyone is. Brock and Ash haven't been heard from in months, and without them I can't get in contact with any of his friends."

"It's true," Oak confirmed. "Ash hasn't called me with an update in some time. He left months ago with Brock, and didn't tell anyone where he was going. He said he didn't know. He didn't even take any of his Pokémon with him."

James and Meowth turned to each other and crashed back into their chairs.

"I won't let that stop me, though," Misty said. "I'll stop Jessie if it kills me. We can't sit back and do nothing while she terrorises the whole world."

"No offense, Misty," James countered, "but that kid has some real talent. I don't know what we can do without his help."

"We were kinda countin' on it," Meowth agreed.

"You're forgetting something," Misty grinned. James and Meowth looked at each other in confusion, then shrugged up at her.

"If it wasn't for me, Ash would never have gotten as far as he has. I taught him how to be a Pokémon trainer."

"Twerp has a point," James agreed.

Misty felt a pang of anger building up inside her, but after seeing their injuries, she just couldn't bear to shout at them.

"Could you guys maybe stop calling me a twerp though? We kinda always hated it, and I'm eighteen now."

"Sorry, old habit," James admitted. "I suppose you _are _a little old to be called a twerp."

"We _have_ been calling you guys _twoips_ for years and years now. It's not an easy habit to break," Meowth explained. "But I promise we're on your side. We need your help, so we ain't gonna go and ruin our new friendship with stupid stuff like that. Honest."

"Let's just be allies for now," Misty replied. "We'll see about the 'friends' thing later."

James and Meowth grinned at each other, then high-fived, before remembering their injuries and crying out in pain.

"One thing still bothers me though," Misty surmised. "You said Jessie was trying to steal something from Silph before she murdered the president. So you guys were in on their plan right up until she actually did it. What's stopping you from taking Jessie out of the picture and continuing the plan in her place? How do I know you're not just using us?"

"Why didn't I think of that before I invited you in here?" Oak thought out loud.

"Whoa! Hey!" Meowth retorted, putting his paws up in front of himself in a defensive gesture. "We thought she was just stealin' some machine or somethin'. You know, like our other crappy plans. We had no idea _what_ she was stealin' or what the plan was."

"That's right!" James agreed. "She was gone for months before she came back. We had no idea about any of this. Not even the whole Rocket United deal. The first we knew of it was when that Team Magma Magmortar started using Ember on us."

"So you expect me to believe she didn't trust you two at all? After all your history together?"

James looked genuinely angry then. "Do you have any idea how many times that damn woman has run off with our paychecks? At least when I did it, it was out of ignorance! She deliberately stole from us, then spent it on food and beauty products all for herself!"

"She kept saying that she had a 'certain lifestyle' she needed to keep up, for the good of Team Rocket, and that we wouldn't understand!" Meowth added.

"She wouldn't trust us with anything!" James spat. "We told her we were pulling the plug on the whole Team Rocket thing, that it was done! She'd gone too far and we weren't going to be associated with a murderer."

"That's when the Team Magma and Team Aqua guys came in and knocked us both out. When we woke up, our fur was being burnt off!"

James sighed – not a sound Misty had ever expected to hear him make.

"We understand if you don't trust us. After all, I wouldn't. Not after all the horrible things we've done to you over the years. But we were changing. We started feeling bad about what we'd done, and we really didn't want to be a part of it anymore."

"We even came up with some great business ideas, guaranteed to make a fortune!" Meowth added with a kind of wistful longing. "I coulda gotten us a deal to manufacture official Pokémon League memorabilia here in Kanto! I knew a guy and everythin'. We were gonna go legit."

"And we wanted Jessie to come with us. She just laughed in our faces."

Misty felt really awful for questioning them, although she told herself that even James and Meowth admitted they couldn't always be trusted. It didn't help. The state of the two of them…the resolve in their eyes when they mentioned Jessie's betrayal…it all seemed so honest.

"What about your Pokémon?" she asked.

"Gone," James answered sadly. "She took them all, and said that only the strong would be allowed to have Pokémon when she was in charge."

Misty's eyes widened when she heard that. "So that's her plan? She wants to rule?"

James shrugged. "I guess so. She never really told us anything. We just knew we had to escape, and find you twer- guys – before she did anything worse."

Oak had been pretty quiet up until this point, but he'd clearly been thinking of plans while they were telling their story.

"Where do you think she's gone?" he asked. "Indigo Plateau, perhaps? That's the headquarters of the Pokémon League in Kanto. It's also where Government is based."

Meowth and James nodded, looking down at their feet solemnly.

"That sounds about right to me," James agreed. "She wouldn't _just_ go there though. Whatever machine she stole from Silph Co would have been too important to leave behind or take with her."

"Hmm," Oak said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I seem to recall a rumour of a machine being developed in Saffron City that could affect a Pokémon's evolutionary stage. There are a couple of big companies in Saffron now, so I couldn't tell you who was making it. Perhaps that's what Jessie was after?"

"It's worse than that," came a voice from a hallway, darkened enough that the person it belonged to was completely obscured except for his silhouette.

"Gary! You're back!" Professor Oak cried out happily.

"She's already reached Indigo Plateau, and her cronies are already using that machine," Gary explained. "They're using it to make armies of fully evolved Pokémon."

"Armies?" Misty asked. Gary nodded, looking deadly serious.

"I was chased down by a dozen Golem just outside Veridian City. And there was something wrong with them…like their morality was just…gone. They took orders from the Rockets without question, no matter how crazy they were. When I yelled at them to stop…it was almost like they were _enjoying_ it."

"Shadow Pokémon," Oak said matter-of-factly.

"Could be," Gary agreed. "If this machine wasn't finished, it could have some serious side-effects."

"Well, now we know what we're up against," Misty chimed in. "Perhaps we should get a good night's sleep before we start making plans? I know I'm pretty wiped out. And Gary – I mean this in the nicest possible way – you look terrible. Is there anything I can get you? Here, have a seat."

Misty stood up and offered Gary the armchair she'd been sitting in, which he gratefully accepted.

"Thanks Misty. You look gorgeous too, by the way.," he replied with a grin. "I'm fine though, I just need a shower and something to eat and I'm good. I'll do sentry duty first."

"It's fine, Gary," Oak chuckled. "We have Pokémon here for that. Get some rest, you look exhausted."

"Fair point, but I look better than those two at least," Gary pointed at James and Meowth. "What the hell happened to you guys?"

"Long story, bud," Meowth sighed. "Why don't ya get us all some chow and we'll go through all the stuff ya missed out on."


	2. Jessie League

Misty was up relatively early the next morning, and sat outside Oak's lab with some of Ash's Pokémon. She was watching Psyduck and Starmie reacquaint themselves with Bulbasaur, Charizard and Squirtle when Gary sat down next to her.

"I wasn't expecting you to be up so early," she remarked.

"It's a serious problem we're facing," he replied. "I couldn't really keep sleeping."

"I suppose that's fair enough," she said. "You're tired though, Gary. You have to look after yourself."

"That's sweet, Mist," Gary smiled. "But I'll catch up on sleep when all this is over."

"Alright then," she said, accepting that her suggestion wasn't getting her anywhere. "So tell me about this machine. You think it's having side-effects?"

"Well, it's hard to say without knowing much about it," Gary answered, looking into the distance. "Like I said last night, there's something not right about the Pokémon. If I had to guess, I'd say they stole it before it was finished, and now it's changing the Pokémon they use it on. I agree with Gramps; I think it's turning them into Shadow Pokémon."

"That's terrible, if it's true," Misty sighed. "Those poor Pokémon."

"That makes it even more important for us to stop the Rockets," Gary said fiercely. "And we're gonna need all the help we can get. That's why I've decided to go find Ash and Brock."

Misty's eyes widened, and she stood up, facing him with her hands on her hips. "What? But you can't! I need you to come with me to Indigo Plateau!"

"You won't need me for that," he replied coolly. "You'll only be doing reconnaissance stuff anyway. Just taking a look around, seeing what they're up to. That sorta thing."

"But I can't do it alone…" she replied doubtfully.

"You won't _be_ alone," Oak said, appearing from the lab. "Pikachu will go with you."

Just as he finished speaking, Pikachu raced around the corner and sprinted up to Misty, leaping into her arms. He licked her face furiously before telling Misty how much he'd missed her.

"I'm glad to see you too, little guy!" she replied. "Where were you last night? How come we didn't see you?"

"Pikachu was a little tired from helping me with some research yesterday, and when Meowth and James arrived I thought it might be better not to reunite them so quickly. Those two didn't look like they needed a wake-up jolt."

Pikachu's ears fluttered, then he crouched down in one of his attack stances. Sure enough, Meowth and James stepped through the door.

"_Pika!"_ he yelled angrily, preparing for an attack.

"It's okay, Pikachu," Oak insisted. "They're not here to cause trouble. They're helping us out, this time."

"Yeah!" Meowth exclaimed. "No need for violence, Pikachu. We're all friends here, now. This time we really _are_ here to protect the world from devastation."

Pikachu wasn't happy about it, but seeing that Misty, Gary and Professor Oak were all okay with it meant he had little choice. He walked away to where the other Pokémon were sitting, huffily plonking himself down next to Charizard.

"Pika?" he asked him, to which Charizard simply shrugged and muttered a reply.

"We need to go to Indigo Plateau," James said, a serious look on his face. "We can't stay here too long."

"The longer we wait, the more time Jessie has to use that machine of hers," Meowth agreed. "We need to stop her."

"You two should accompany Misty," Oak instructed them. "The three of you will be able to get far more intelligence together than you ever would manage on your own. Gary will be heading west to search for Ash and Brock, and any of his many travelling companions who wish to join us. Without their help, this fight becomes a very difficult prospect indeed."

"Will you be okay all by yourself?" Misty asked Gary.

"I'll be just fine," he grinned. "Besides, I'm not alone. My Pokémon will be with me. And anyway, Erika's already sent a whole bunch of scouts out that way to look for them too. Hopefully with all of us looking, we'll find something."

"Misty, I've got some things I want you to take with you on your mission," Oak said. He held out his hand, and presented her with 5 Pokéballs. "I'll need to borrow your Psyduck, Corsola, Gyarados and Azumarill, however. Unfortunately, the six-Pokémon-per-trainer rule still applies, even if the Pokéball storage and transport system doesn't work."

"But…I can't take these," Misty replied in shock. "They're Ash's Pokémon."

"And they've all agreed to help you. The way Pikachu sees it, If Ash was here, he'd want you to take them anyway. They're happy to help."

"But what about the six-Pokemon-per-trainer rule?" she asked. "Surely I can't just take Ash's Pokémon when there's no way to trade or transfer?"

"It's fine, Misty. Trainers can't do it at Pokémon Centres or anywhere else, but I'm one of the few people in the world entrusted to give trainers their first Pokémon," he smiled wryly. "I can circumvent this sort of thing. They're already in your name. You won't be able to substitute any of them on your journey, though. The six you choose now will be the ones you have, period."

"I don't know what to say!" Misty shook her head, partly happy, partly confused.

"They're some of the smartest, strongest Pokémon around," Gary smiled reassuringly, placing a hand on Misty's shoulder. "And don't worry, Gramps will take good care of yours while you're gone too."

"You can count on it," Oak nodded. "But one thing first…let me see your Starmie. Gary, can you help out here?"

Gary released his Alakazam and Blastoise, and called Pikachu over. Misty looked confused.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

Gary grinned. "We're gonna teach your Starmie to use Electric, Ice and Psychic attacks."

* * *

After spending the entire day training Starmie, Misty was completely wiped out. Not to mention Starmie, who hadn't worked so hard in years.

"There's one thing I don't get," James began, sipping on a cocktail Professor Oak had made him. "If Starmie was capable of doing that all this time, how come you never taught it?"

"Cause she's a water Pokémon trainer," Oak explained. "In order to teach your Pokémon how to use attacks that aren't necessarily of its own type, it helps dramatically if you have another Pokémon who knows the attack already. As a water trainer, she doesn't have any electric, psychic or ice-type Pokémon to help with that."

"And…I sort of forgot that Starmie is a Psychic type too," Misty admitted. "Guess I'm glad Ash wasn't here to see it. He'd never let me hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he finds out when I find him," Gary mocked, and received a punch in the arm for his trouble.

"_Anyway_," she continued, "when do we leave? Not that I'm all that keen to go, it's pretty relaxing being here. I'm not sure I'm ready to head out into the world and face all the Rockets just yet."

"We should leave right now," James answered. "The sun's going down, the Rocket United patrols will be nearing the end of their shifts. They'll be tired, and more likely to lose a battle."

"And darkness is sorta our friend," Meowth added.

"_Pika!_" Pikachu yelled from inside, then shouted an order in an eager voice.

"He says 'come inside quick, it's Jessie on the TV!'" Meowth translated.

Gary and Misty raised their eyebrows at each other, then quickly jumped out of their chairs and raced inside. Sure enough, Jessie was on TV in an emergency news broadcast. She was dressed in a dark, elegant skirt-suit, with dark sunglasses on and her signature long blood-red hair tied up in a sophisticated-looking bun.

"She thinks she looks so rich and important," James commented angrily. "I hate her!"

"_As the leader of Rocket United, I'm a very rich and important person, as you can imagine,"_ Jessie began, eliciting an annoyed grunt from James. _"I'm sure you've seen my lovely assistants in the streets, patrolling the cities and towns of the world to ensure your safety."_

"Safety?" Meowth blurted. "How dare she!"

"_Sorry, did I say safety? How silly of me, I meant to say obedience," _she corrected herself unnecessarily, following it up with her annoying, cackling laughter._ "Since I'm so incredibly rich, powerful and beautiful, I thought I'd prove to you just how easily I could subjugate you all. And clearly, it's worked. Rocket United is no longer the ridiculous collection of bumbling crime teams you're so used to. We are, as our name suggests, united under one banner: mine._

"_We have one interest, and one interest only: to own the entire world. But since I'm so gracious and fair, I've decided to give you all a chance. In exactly three days, I will be holding a Pokémon Battle Tournament here in the wonderful Indigo Plateau – I call it 'Jessie League'. Everyone is invited to join up and participate in Jessie League, and face off against members of the illustrious Rocket United. Anyone beaten will obviously be eliminated, but the winner – if it's not one of our talented Rocket United trainers – will have the chance to negotiate peace terms with me personally. That's right, you'll get to meet me in person!_

"_If nobody beats our Rocket United trainers though…I'm afraid we'll start killing people by the dozen until we're installed as the head of every world government. You have three days to prepare, so make the most of it! The tournament will be broadcast on all major TV networks for those who can't attend personally, and run by the Pokémon League so you know this will be a quality tournament. I know when it's best to outsource talent. I'll see you all at Jessie League! Ciao…"_

Jessie blew a kiss to the camera before the screen faded to black, then it returned to normal programming.

"That's a very scary prospect," Oak commented.

"Yeah, that blowing a kiss to the camera thing will give me nightmares for months!" Meowth spat.

Oak shook his head, but thought about it for a moment and started to nod in agreement.

"No one's game enough to tell her she's too old for that kind of sluttiness!" James added.

"A bit of perspective, guys," Misty interrupted. "She's threatening to kill people. And anyway, this tournament sounds like a ruse to me. She's can't honestly expect people to believe she's gonna do peace talks with the winner."

"It doesn't matter," Oak quipped. "Either way, who's going to challenge her? She's already got the whole world by the scruff of the neck. If she wins the tournament, she gets her way. If she loses the tournament, she'll just kill until she gets her way."

"You're thinking about this all wrong, Gramps." Gary countered. "She's holding this tournament to showcase her power – she knows whatever the outcome is, she's going to come out on top. We have to use that to our advantage."

"How do you plan on doing that?" Oak argued. "There doesn't really seem to be any weak spot to Rocket United."

"On the contrary," Gary smirked, "this whole tournament idea _is_ the weak spot."

Misty continued for him. "Some of her forces will have to be used to make sure the tournament goes according to plan. That leaves their base of operations open for us to sneak in and do some dirty work."

"We can get in there, do some sabotage, and take away some of their power," Gary added.

Oak looked thoughtful, but still a little pessimistic. "It _sounds_ good, but suppose your plan works up until that point. Who's going to come in and save the day? It can't be you or Misty, all your Pokémon will be exhausted from battling."

"Who said anything about me battling?" Misty countered. "If Gary enters the tournament, I can do sneak-and-sabotage. I won't need to battle much at all if I rely on stealth and charm for the most part. I'll only battle if I need to."

"You? Charm?" Gary sniggered. "That's a terrible plan, little miss anger management. If the tournament's a ruse, then _you _should be the one to enter it."

Misty was about to lose it, but she saw an opportunity to showcase some of her skills. She sultrily walked over to Gary, brushing her bright red hair behind her ears, and placed her hands on his collar.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not really attempting to avoid her.

She gently tugged, pulling him slightly closer to her, smiling sweetly up at him. She pressed herself lightly against him and slid her hands up behind his neck, stroking the bottom of his hairline.

"I figure a lot of the gangsters will be men," she whispered into his ear breathily, noticing all the tell-tale signs as Gary began to succumb to her. "I think I'll be fine."

She unwrapped herself suddenly and stepped back, looking down at Gary's crotch.

"See? Charm," she smirked.

Gary's face went very red. He immediately adjusted himself as best as he could, but it was too late.

"That's what Jessie always tried to do, but she was too old," Meowth commented.

"She's good," James added. "I can't believe she's the same fiery little redhead that used to beat the hell out of the twerp."

"So the plan's settled then?" Misty asked. "Gary enters the tournament while James and Meowth hit up their Team Rocket contacts, and I'll infiltrate their base."

"That won't work," Meowth shook his head. "We don't got no contacts no more. Plus, Jessie's probably told everyone to watch out for us. We'd be better off doing the sneaky thing with you. We know how their security works."

"Great, that works for me. Anything to add, Gary?" Misty grinned.

Gary went red again. "Whatever," he snorted. "It's a good plan."

Professor Oak was glaring at Misty, shaking his head.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"That wasn't necessary," he said. "I could have just explained that Gary's not very charming."

Misty shrugged. "This was more fun. And anyway, how come when I finally use a non-violent solution to a problem, you actually get upset at me? Next time I'll just hit him."

"Uh, one problem," James spoke up, his finger raised like a schoolkid asking permission to speak. "Who's going to find the twerp?"

They all looked at the ground, trying to think of someone who could travel quickly, avoid trouble wherever possible and escape it when necessary…someone who could be trusted to go out on their own and make it back again…someone like –

"_Pika!_" Pikachu interrupted their thoughts, pointing up at the sky just as a gust of wind blew the door shut.

They looked outside in time to see a huge flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, headed by a single Pidgeot, which announced their arrival with a loud _pijj-oh!_ It seemed to know Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle and Pikachu.

"I don't believe it," Oak said, his jaw dropped. "That's some incredible timing."

"What's with all the _boids_?" Meowth asked, totally ignorant of the significance.

Ash's Pidgeot and its Pidgey and Pidgeotto friends flew Gary, Misty, James and Meowth all the way from Professor Oak's place to just outside Indigo Plateau, avoiding the extremely dangerous Victory Road. Misty had actually been looking forward to travelling through the vast network of tunnels, knowing that her Starmie and Ash's Pikachu had an advantage against most of the wild Pokémon in there, but Gary warned her that it had become overrun with Shadow Pokémon that had escaped Rocket United and was far too dangerous to travel through. Pidgeot insisted that it was no trouble to take them the extra distance to Indigo Plateau, although they soon realised that they would be unable to fly all the way there.

The entire city was surrounded by Rocket United henchmen. Every entrance had a checkpoint on it, with several rock or electric type Pokémon at the ready to attack anyone bold enough to try and fly in. Even though it was dark, it would still have been far too risky. Misty was shocked, but she realised that she would have to get used to keeping a low profile, and that meant acting nonchalant around Rocket United's many henchmen – flying around on a huge Pidgeot was definitely _not_ inconspicuous.

They landed in a small clearing in some woods just outside the city limits, flying low on their approach in order to avoid detection. After thanking Pidgeot and the Pidgey for the ride in, the flock flew off towards the east to complete their mission to find Ash, Brock and their friends. The night was clear and the moon was almost full, and despite being near a big city it was still quite dark in the wilderness between Indigo Plateau and Viridian City. The group was quite tired by now too, having spent most of the day training and planning exhaustively, and being the height of summer it was quite warm still, despite Indigo Plateau's higher altitude.

Gary was the first one to speak while everyone sorted out their packs and other gear.

"Erika's spies say that Indigo Plateau is like a fortress. At least two patrolling grunts on every street, and people going missing daily," he explained. "We need to make sure we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. Remember, if anyone asks, we're here to compete in the tournament."

"And _we're_ here to support Rocket United!" James said sarcastically. "Because we want to be on the winning side, and we'd really like to join them."

"Are you sure you guys are okay with going undercover?" Misty asked.

James and Meowth looked at each other, then burst into laughter.

"Remember the St. Anne?" Meowth asked her.

"What's _that_ got to do with anything?" she asked impatiently.

"_Cooooooool!_" James exclaimed excitedly in his best teenage girl voice. Misty's jaw dropped as she realised something that had happened almost eight years ago.

"That's right," Meowth stated proudly. "We gave ya those tickets. Still have any doubts about our undercover abilities?"

Misty shook her head, her jaw still dropped. "But…that's…"

"And there's dozens more times we fooled you that you probably don't realise," James grinned. "Hundreds, even, if you count the times we fooled your twerpy friends after you went back to Cerulean City."

"What are they talking about?" Gary asked, totally ignorant of the entire situation.

"Let's just say they're equal parts the best and worst disguise artists I know," Misty partially explained, deliberately being dismissive to avoid having to go into a lengthy and possibly embarrassing explanation.

The four of them, along with Pikachu, who was sitting in Misty's partially open backpack, then made their way towards the road. It was only a mile or two to the nearest checkpoint, and as long as they kept their stories straight and didn't act suspiciously at all there was nothing to worry about and no need to be too careful.

Before too long they reached the checkpoint, which was a smaller one; not a main road into Indigo Plateau. It was a dirt road, and the checkpoint had two Rocket United members on guard, along with two Electivire and two Golems. Both Electivires started sparking as soon as the group approached, and before long they were almost straining at the leash. One took a step towards them, but received an order from one of the Rockets and obediently took a backwards step, still sparking electricity furiously, and growling at them. Misty looked at them out of the corner of her eye.

She noticed immediately that they had a look in their eyes, like fury. Almost like they were glowing red with rage. Her analysis ended suddenly when the ground shook beneath them all a little. She realised quickly that the Golem had become impatient as well and were stomping the ground. She did her best not to be surprised by it, be she felt as though she may have jumped a little.

"IDs," one of the Rocket United gangsters demanded.

After Gary, James and Misty had had their IDs inspected without having raised any immediate suspicion, the Rockets let them go on through. Once they were out of earshot one of them tapped his ear before speaking quietly, seemingly to no one.

"Boss? You're gonna wanna know who just passed through our checkpoint. Yes, I understand, boss, and I'm sorry to have bothered you, but you'll _really_ want to know this."

The Rocket then turned to the other with a grin on his face.

"I can smell a promotion and a pay rise for the two of us."


	3. Amber

The four of them approached the main Pokémon Centre in the middle of the city on foot, after catching a bus from the outskirts of Indigo Plateau. It wasn't an especially long ride, Indigo Plateau not being the biggest city in Kanto by a long shot. Other places such as Saffron City, Celadon City and even Fuchsia dwarfed Indigo Plateau, even though it was the capital. It just didn't hold as much of an appeal as the other big cities in Kanto, apart from when the Pokémon League competition was on. Then it was by far the busiest city.

Rocket United's presence had been bolstered lately, according to Erika's spies, but up until recently it really wasn't that bad. Their biggest numbers had been present mostly in Celadon and Saffron cities. Misty assumed that it was partly in preparation for the "Jessie League" tournament being held in three days' time, but she knew that couldn't be the only reason. Most people were far too scared to even leave their homes, much less travel in large numbers to Indigo Plateau. Something else had to be going on here for there to be such a large Rocket presence.

The Pokémon Centre looked reasonably dead from the outside, but they soon realised that it was because the curfew was about to take effect and everyone was probably already indoors and out of sight.

_We must have caught the last bus,_ Misty thought to herself.

"Once we're inside, let me do the talking," Misty ordered. "Being a gym leader might get us a bit further with the right people, if we're lucky."

"Since when do we get any luck?" Meowth blurted, just as James reached down and covered his mouth.

"Need I remind you that a talking Meowth will almost certainly give us away?" he scolded.

Meowth apologised silently, then mimed zipping his mouth shut.

"We're here," Gary announced. "Let's hope Nurse Joy can help us out a bit."

He pushed the door, but it was locked shut.

"Wait a minute, Gary," James said. "There's a sign here that says it's full."

"As if…" he responded, more to the sign than to James. "Hey! Nurse Joy! Open up!" he yelled, knocking on the door. Misty grabbed his hand quickly and shushed him.

"We can't be so reckless!" she told him. "Staying nonchalant ring any bells?"

"But we gotta get inside!" he argued, just as the door unlocked and swung open.

"Hi," Nurse Joy greeted them. "I'm terribly sorry but we're not taking any Pokémon right now. We're reserved for Rocket United members only."

"Nurse Joy, do you remember me?" Misty asked as politely as she could. "I came here years ago with Ash Ketchum. I'm from Cerulean City, and –"

"Tiny denim shorts, beautiful bright red hair, bare midriff and sneakers…I haven't seen the Cerulean gym leader in about seven or eight years," Joy interrupted, her voice lowered to almost a whisper. "How could I forget Misty Waterflower! Don't turn around, any of you. Keep looking at me," she continued, shaking her head as if denying them something. "I'm shaking my head for effect because there's a Rocket United patroller watching us right now…"

They waited for a few moments while Nurse Joy pretended to close the door. The Rocket patroller eventually passed the Pokémon Centre and she opened it again.

"Okay everyone, quickly come inside," she said, waving them all in. "Let's head out back so they can't see us from the road."

Pikachu leapt out of Misty's backpack to stretch his legs, and the five of them followed Joy around the front desk and out the back of the Pokémon Centre, where there were several dozen rooms for travelling trainers, all of which were unoccupied. The whole centre seemed just as dead as it looked from the outside, and Misty began to realise just how scared regular trainers were.

"It's because of the disappearances, the patrollers, all of it. People are just so much more wary," Nurse Joy explained, seemingly reading Misty's mind. "Normally trainers would band together to fight this sort of thing. But the few who tried…"

"It's the same in Cerulean City," Misty said sadly as they all sat down on some well-used sofas in the Pokémon Centre's common room, central to all the corridors that housed the trainers' lodging rooms.

"And in Veridian, Pewter and all the rest of them," Gary agreed.

"You really notice it when you're running a Pokémon Centre," Joy continued. "People aren't bringing their Pokémon in, they're not staying here at the centre, they're not even _trying_ to oppose Rocket United. They know they can't win. I never thought it would ever get this bad. I've had to turn away some of the few people who were brave enough to put up a fight, because the Rockets wanted to set an example."

"That's so awful, Nurse Joy," Misty sympathised.

"Yes," James agreed. "To think I was once a part of that mob! It makes me sick!"

"I knew I recognised you two from somewhere!" Nurse Joy grinned. "You're that talking Meowth! You two were from Team Rocket, weren't you?" she said, pointing at Meowth.

"Not no more, we ain't," Meowth snapped. "We don't want nothin' to do with them no more. We're here to stop 'em before this gets _really_ bad."

"I _knew_ you guys would have a plan, I just knew it!" Joy squealed excitedly. "All the other Joys always said where there's trouble, you're sure to find Ash Ketchum and his friends trying to stop it. But where _is_ Ash? Isn't he a part of this too?"

"Ash went away on some self-discovery trip months ago, and left all his Pokémon behind. Nobody knows where he is or how to get in contact with him," Gary explained.

"We're everything," Misty continued. "We were kinda hoping you might know some people we could hook up with who might be able to help us out a little."

Joy looked down at the coffee table in the centre of the sofa arrangement. "There _were_ some people," she said sadly.

"Were?" Misty asked. "What happened?"

"They must have figured out what the Rockets were doing here, because they were never seen again. All of them just vanished one day."

Pikachu was listening intently, but had also found a ketchup bottle in the centre of the coffee table and was idly licking at it while the others talked. Nurse Joy smiled at him and patted him on the head, revelling in his innocence.

"This tournament…there's no way the Rockets will go through with their promise, even if someone else _did_ win," Joy stated angrily. "You guys might be our best chance. No one is allowed to heal their Pokémon here while the tournament is on, but I'm happy to heal yours whenever you like. I know you wouldn't be here if you weren't planning to do something about all this. I have a secret back entrance that you can use, and you can base yourselves here, stay in the rooms…whatever will help you out."

She stood up to leave then, patting Pikachu once more.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. The Rockets still send me their injured Pokémon, and they'll want them back in the morning."

"Just one more thing," Gary chimed in. "Where do we sign up for the tournament?"

Joy smiled down at him. "Right here," she stated. "Just go out the rear door and back around the front once it's morning. I knew you had a plan!"

She looked tired and really quite frightened , Misty thought, but now at least she seemed a little hopeful as well.

* * *

The next morning the four of them were up very early so they could sneak out of the Pokémon Centre before any of the Rocket gangsters arrived to heal their Pokémon. It was precisely the stroke of six o'clock when they quietly left via the secret back entrance, which Nurse Joy had cleverly disguised with dense shrubs and vines with the help of some grass Pokémon. They walked around to the front of the centre after killing a bit of time with their Pokémon, and when they got there several Rocket United grunts were already guarding the entrance. Misty silently hoped to herself that Gary's attitude wouldn't get the better of him. He did have a bit of a history of disrespecting authority, after all.

"No healing your Pokémon. Get lost, kid," one Rocket practically spat at the group.

"We're not here to heal our Pokémon, dumbass," Gary retorted angrily. "I'm here to sign up for the tournament. So get outta the way."

"Oh, a smartass," the Rocket replied, stone-faced. "Show us your ID, smartass, or you ain't signin' up for shit."

Gary grumbled angrily, and reluctantly handed over his ID. The Rocket looked at it for a lot longer than Misty and the others felt was necessary, but after about ten seconds he handed it back.

"One at a time," he instructed. "Go in, sign up, then you'll be instructed where to go. Hurry up."

The other Rockets standing guard opened the Pokémon Centre's doors, while the first shoved Gary in the back as he walked in.

"Hey!" Misty shouted. "You can't do–"

The Rocket grabbed Misty by the neck, his huge, burly hands completely engulfing it. Misty reached up to try and pry him away, but then remembered they were meant to be keeping a low profile. As much as it pained her to do, she had to act as helpless and girly as possible.

"–I can do whatever I want, slut," the Rocket threatened her. "So you better behave yourself. You're in _our_ world now."

James' knuckles cracked as he balled his fists in rage, barely holding himself back.

Several minutes passed, and some more people had arrived to sign up, but the Rockets weren't letting anyone else in. Misty was about to ask them what was going on when he suddenly touched his index finger to his ear, listening to some sort of communiqué. He nodded to the other guard Rockets, who opened the doors up again. The main guard then grabbed James by the shoulders and practically threw him inside. Meowth followed quickly, almost forgetting to stay on all fours.

"You're next, loser," he sneered, referring to James. "Get in there and sign up, and do what you're told."

"What about my friend?" Misty demanded. "Where is he?"

The main guard gave her a sudden, brutally fierce backhand, knocking her to the ground. Several people in line gasped and tried to help her up as the main guard released an Arcanine. It immediately started snarling and barking at everyone, and it looked _mad_. Everyone backed off, and Misty got to her feet.

"Don't you dare touch her–" James started to say, but was given a punch to the face for his trouble.

"I said _get in there_," the guard reiterated angrily to James.

"I'm not even here to sign up, you moron!" James shouted.

The Rocket guard called over the Arcanine, which made James back off slightly. Misty assumed it was due to his last experience with a fire Pokémon burning his face.

"Get in there before I tell Arcanine to give you another scar," the Rocket threatened, and James reluctantly did as he was told and headed inside with Meowth in tow.

"Are you alright?" a woman asked Misty.

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied, trying to conceal her rage. Her face stung, and it felt like her jaw had been knocked pretty badly, but she was more angry than anything else. Something was very wrong here. Why was James called in when he clearly had no intention of signing up for the tournament? And where the hell was Gary?

People began murmuring as the wait for Gary and James continued, notching up close to ten minutes. Misty was becoming really worried now, but before she had time to think of what to do the main guard pressed in his earpiece again, clearly receiving word from inside the Pokémon Centre.

"Alright, it's your turn now, slut," he spat. "Get in, sign up, and get out. Make it quick, these people are waiting."

Misty bit her tongue as she stepped inside, and it took everything she had not to turn around and hit him, or call out one of her Pokémon to help teach him a lesson. As she entered, the main guard grabbed her ass. Misty stopped dead in her tracks, and she could feel her face going red with building rage. Her blood boiled.

_I'll kill him,_ she promised to herself.

"Dumb slut," the guard sniggered. "All that gym leader bullshit, and all ya do is stand there and take it. At least ya got a nice ass. Maybe when Rocket United finally takes this piece of shit world, I'll come to Cerulean and take that sweet ass of yours for myself."

Misty didn't move a muscle as the guard continued to grope her. She knew she couldn't retaliate, which made the whole ordeal that much harder to handle. Once he was done, he slapped her ass so hard she lost her footing. The guards all laughed as Misty got back to her feet. There was nothing she could do about the guard's treatment of her. Normally she'd have kicked the crap out of him without hesitation or consideration of fear – she was _that_ type of girl. Not being able to defend herself was so frustrating, she was forced to find new depths of tolerance and patience just to subdue her urge to kick his ass.

Doing her best impersonation of someone who was keeping it together, she followed another Rocket around the left-side of the front desk where the paperwork was being kept. Gary and James had been taken around the right-side, to the back area where they'd stayed the night before. Something was seriously wrong.

"Listen," she said to the Rocket, not really expecting any kind of helpful response, "my friends haven't come out yet, and I'm not even here to sign up, I'm not entering the tournament and–"

"– No, _you_ listen," the Rocket interrupted, and Misty's heart sank. "You're signing up for this tournament whether you like it or not, _babe_. Do it, then you can leave with your life intact."

"On any other day, pal–"

"–just do it, red. I really don't wanna have to encourage you."

Not wanting to cop another beating, she filled out the application form half-heartedly, then shoved it in the Rocket's face.

"Thatta girl," he said sarcastically. "See? Even the Cerulean Gym Leader can obey orders and do whatever we tell her to do, whenever we tell her to do it. Now _get out_."

Misty was furious; she'd never experienced this level of anger before. Her vision was literally tunnelled, and she barely took in her surroundings at all. She could hear Pikachu struggling to stay quiet, still inside her backpack. She knew he was aware of everything that had happened, even hidden away as he was, and was oh-so-close to breaking out and shocking everyone in the room into a coma. And she wanted nothing more than to let him, but she couldn't. It would be a death sentence. Instead, she stopped in her tracks as she passed the three guards outside, noting that the Arcanine had been withdrawn.

"Get going before I get angry, slut," the main guard threatened.

"I just wanted you to know that if I ever have the great displeasure of ever meeting you ever again, I'll kill you," she said coldly and with an eerily calm voice, not even turning around to face him. "Just remember that, and pray that this is the last time we meet."

"You'll eat those words, you little bitch," he responded, drawing back his fist to punch her in the back of the head. Pikachu had had enough though, and popped his head out of the backpack.

"_CHUUUUUUUU!"_

A huge flash of light erupted as Pikachu leapt into the air, releasing a perfectly timed Thundershock attack on the main guard and his two colleagues. All three went down in a charred, smoking pile, to cheers from the other trainers waiting in line. They surrounded the Rockets, allowing Misty and Pikachu to escape without any Rocket patrollers seeing what had happened through the thick crowd.

"You get going," said the same woman who'd asked if she was okay before. "We'll take care of things here. And good luck, Misty."

Misty managed a smile, but it quickly faded as she made her way towards the road. The enormity of the situation hit her all at once: Gary, James and Meowth were all missing, and she had to complete the entire plan all on her own now, while still finding a way to rescue them all. She wondered what Brock and Ash would have done, but remembered even as she started thinking that they would probably have split up to achieve their objectives. She sighed heavily as she walked along, wondering what her next move should be. She really needed to talk to Gary.

…_or failing that, I'll have to call Professor Oak,_ she thought.

She walked along until she found a spot that was relatively obscured, and had lots of walls and shrubs to block out the noise of a conversation. Trying not to look like she was acting too suspiciously, she whipped her phone out of her backpack and called Oak. His face appeared on the screen moments later.

"_Misty, your face is all bruised. What happened to keeping a low profile?"_

"I didn't do it on purpose!" she replied defensively. "There was some trouble at the Pokémon Centre when we signed up for the tournament."

"_We?" _Oak asked. _"I thought Gary was going to sign up, and the rest of you were going to run reconnaissance?"_

"We _were_," she explained, "but something went wrong. They knew us. They took Gary in by himself, and he never came out. Then they forced James in there even though he told them he wasn't there to sign up, and _he_ never came out either."

"_Oh dear," _Oak said, thoughtfully stroking his chin. _"Oh that's not good at all. We'll have to think of a way to get them back, obviously."_

"But what about the tournament?"

"_Oh yes, the tournament. Well we still need Gary to compete. He might be our best shot at beating Rocket United."_

"Well they made me sign up instead," Misty told him. "I _have_ to compete now."

She heard a rustling in the bushes to her right, and turned to see what it was, expecting to see a Rocket patroller. Instead, it was a pretty-looking girl dressed in skinny jeans and a floral blouse.

"Forgive me, I was hiding from a Rocket patroller, listening in to your conversation. I've been following you since you left the Pokémon Centre. My name is Amber, I'm a Celadon Spy."

Misty raised her eyebrows in surprise, then grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her in close so Oak could see her on the phone, and Amber yelped in surprise.

"This is Amber," Misty announced, "and Amber is apparently one of Erika's Celadon Spies. I've just decided that she's going to help us get Gary and the others back."

"O-of course," Amber muttered. "I'm sorry I was spying on you, but it's sorta my job. But I'll help you in any way I can."

"_You can start by telling us some things about the Rocket United presence in Indigo Plateau," _Oak instructed. _"What do you know?"_

"I know where their base is," she replied, "and it's not too heavily guarded. But it _is_ secure. You won't be able to get in."

Misty got a little flustered by that remark.

"Are you implying my skills aren't up to scratch? I _guarantee_ I could get in there, or _anywhere_."

"That may be the case," Amber said, "but if you go there now you'll be caught in a second. You're too well known. The Rockets already know you're here, and they won't be taking any chances until the tournament is under way. Why do you think they took Gary Oak?"

"_Because he's the best chance we have of winning that tournament,"_ Oak answered.

"Exactly," Amber snapped. "And they know that Misty Waterflower does her best work _outside_ of battles, not _in_ them, despite the Gym Leader thing."

"Then what do _you_ suggest?" Misty asked impatiently. "We go back to Celadon and arrange flowers until Jessie calls us to give Gary and James a presidential pardon?"

"That's _not_ what I'm suggesting. I get that this is raw, and you're still upset, but just listen to me," Amber retorted patiently. "I'm _suggesting_ that _I_ get you inside that facility, and we _both_ go and break out your friends. If we do it during the day, while the tournament is on, their security will be at its weakest. We'll need to wait to see when your matches are on, and we'll coordinate around that."

"_That sounds like an excellent idea," _Oak agreed. _"As much as I hate the idea of Gary, and to a lesser extent James and Meowth, being in Rocket United's custody for four days or more, I think we can't risk your exposure or capture, Misty. This has to be about winning the tournament as much as finding out and sabotaging their plans. We need to give our plan the best possible chance at working."_

"There's one thing I still don't get," Misty started. "Why leave me to enter the tournament?"

"Humiliation, possibly?" Amber suggested.

"_Yes, Jessie seems very sure of herself. She must believe her henchmen are pretty much unstoppable, or she'd never let a gym leader compete. I wouldn't, if I were her."_

The two girls turned quickly to their right as they heard Pikachu cry out that someone was coming. He quickly dashed over to Misty and leapt onto her shoulder.

"Someone's coming, Professor," Misty told him hurriedly. "I'll keep in contact."

She ended the call, then pretended to talk to Amber about Pikachu's diet, just as a Rocket patroller walked past. He peered over the thick shrubs, saw nothing more interesting than a couple of girls talking about a Pikachu, and moved on. Both girls sighed.

"You better come with me," Amber said to Misty as they both got to their feet. "I've got a place to stay with a spare bed that isn't the Pokémon Centre. You'll be safe there for a while. After what Pikachu did to those three Rockets, I think it's safe to say you'd be best off avoiding that place for a few nights."


	4. Adventures In Misdirection

Amber's place was sparsely equipped, and very dingy. Misty was expecting a lot more flowers, or trees, or something with a little bit of nature in it, being a Celadon City Gym employee. Amber insisted it was because if they needed to get out in a hurry there would be little evidence that "a Celadon Spy was hiding out here", as she put it. That made perfect sense, although the dark, musty atmosphere was very uninviting.

"Sorry about the place," Amber apologised, "but it's close to the stadium, and the Pokémon Centre, and it's kinda unassuming."

"That's okay," Misty insisted, "I get the whole 'nondescript' thing."

Amber looked Misty up and down then, smiling as she observed Misty's style. Misty wasn't exactly uncomfortable with it, just unsure what to make of Amber at this point.

"You haven't changed a bit from what Erika told me about you," she said finally. "Have you always dressed that way?"

Misty frowned and put her hands on her hips; she was expecting a compliment. "What's wrong with the way I dress?"

"Oh, I didn't mean any offense, I'm sorry if that came off as bitchy," Amber apologised. "I just meant that your style is very…you. And your personality is exactly like Erika described. Even your hair is the same. I guess what I'm saying is that I admire your strength of character. Even after all these years and all the things you've gone through, you're still the same girl. It's amazing. Most people would have completely changed. Into something they hated when they were younger, probably."

"Thanks, I think," Misty replied, a little confused as to whether it was a compliment or not, and confused about Amber's remark about her hair. "But my hair is different to when I was younger. I don't do that side-ponytail anymore."

"No, I love your hair like this. It's beautiful. A ponytail would just hide it away. If my hair was as long and vibrant as yours is, I'd show it off too."

Amber's hair was blonde, and tied back, with longish bangs at the front framing her pretty face. Her style was very reminiscent of everyone who worked in the Celadon Gym: girly, flowery, and a little restrained. Misty did have to admit, her own style had changed little over the years. She still wore very tight, very short denim shorts, teamed with a loose, cropped top, showing off her toned swimmer's body and a little cleavage, and high-top sneakers; countering her loud, boisterous, attitude-filled demeanour. Amber was right; the only difference really was the lack of suspenders and a change of hairstyle to a longer style, not tied into a ponytail. That, and she rarely wore yellow tops anymore.

Amber stepped closer to her and touched her arms, softly stroking them. Her hands slowly slid down to Misty's waist, and gently pulled her closer.

"What…what are you doing?" Misty whispered.

"I've been out here for a long time, by myself," Amber said softly. "It's really nice to have someone here with me. Especially someone so pretty. You really are gorgeous, Misty."

"Thanks," she replied nervously, with a very nervous laugh. "I like you too, Amber, but–"

"– shhh," Amber muted her, putting a finger to Misty's lips. "You don't have to say anything, just enjoy it."

Now Misty was getting uncomfortable. She _was_ sort of enjoying the naughtiness of it all, but with Gary, James and Meowth all missing and the world in imminent peril, adventures into the world of kissing another girl seemed a little frivolous.

"Maybe another time," Misty said sharply, backing away from her.

"What's wrong?" Amber asked, smelling her own breath. "I've got bad breath, don't I. God, I _knew_ it. I'm so pathetic sometimes. Or is it something else? You've probably got standards, a gorgeous little thing like you. Or am I a little too old for you? _God_, I'm sorry, you probably don't even like girls. I didn't even think to ask you or anything–"

"–it's okay, stop torturing yourself," Misty smiled sweetly. "Your breath is fine, you're barely older than I am, and you're beautiful, Amber. And I'm not sure if I like girls, I've never really thought about it. I've just got a lot on my mind right now. We kinda have a thing going on with Rocket United, remember? They kidnapped Gary, James and Meowth, and I still have to battle them in a tournament that's probably rigged heavily against us."

"Oh god, you're right," Amber sighed. "Perspective, Amber," she scolded herself.

"Hey," Misty consoled her, squeezing her shoulders. "I get it, you've been here by yourself for a long time, putting yourself in danger constantly, risking everything. This is the first real contact you've had with someone in ages. And you're attracted to me…I get it. Don't beat yourself up. Another time, maybe we can see where this leads. But right now, I think we should be planning our next move."

"Yeah…you're right, Misty. I'm sorry," Amber said, looking a little ashamed of herself.

Misty felt bad for her. She'd clearly been spying out here in Indigo Plateau for some time now, and hadn't had any kind of romantic or even friendly encounter with anyone in a while. She wasn't exactly sure why she assumed that Misty was into girls, but she wasn't offended by it. In fact, she was a little intrigued. She didn't want to push Amber completely away, and she did sort of want to see what being with a girl was like, she just wasn't sure this was necessarily the right time for it. Deciding not to burn the romantic bridge completely, she locked her fingers around Amber's neck, stroked her gently with her thumbs and kissed her softly on the lips.

_That wasn't so bad,_ she thought to herself. Amber smiled at her, and Misty knew she'd just made her day. It _did _make Misty feel better too, despite everything that had happened that day. Being this close to someone who understood her situation was nice.

"Let's do that again some time," Misty winked at her, "but for now, tell me what you know about what's going on here."

* * *

Amber made them both some coffee, and they revelled in its relative luxury. While they sipped, she explained what she knew about Rocket United; everything from how long they'd been here, to where their base was. According to her, Indigo Plateau was one of the last places the Rockets took, which was a strategic move designed to frighten the Kanto Government, giving them a sense of Rocket United 'closing in' on them.

She'd been observing their base and knew exactly where it was, too. She even knew what sort of movements the grunts made in and out of it, and what ranks most of them were. Misty was very impressed with the level of detail she was providing. Clearly this girl was an outstanding spy. She even knew about the Rockets' fascination with Misty, Gary, James and Meowth.

"They've already decided that you'll be competing," Amber explained. "The guards at Gate F reported your entry to the city, and that's when Jessie must have put plans in motion to capture Gary and James."

"So why am I competing? Surely a gym leader is too great a threat?" Misty asked.

"I would have thought so too, but with the best will in the world, a team of all-water types won't be hard to beat with the kind of Pokémon they're packing."

"Can you keep a secret?"

Amber raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I'm a spy, Misty. Keeping secrets is part of the job."

Misty thought for a moment, wondering whether telling Amber so much was really a good idea.

_But she's with Erika. Erika wouldn't have sent her here if she wasn't trustworthy. You're being paranoid, Misty._

"I'm not using an all-water team."

Amber smiled, then increased the smile to a wild grin. "Misty, that's fantastic! The Rockets are _expecting_ you to compete with a team of water Pokémon. If you go out there with a different team and your battling skills, you might just have a chance!"

Misty's smile faded slightly. "Maybe, but we still need to get Gary and James out of that base and mess up their plans."

Amber sat back and pondered thoughtfully. "Well," she started, "there isn't much we can do until the tournament, like I said before. Once it starts, a lot of Rocket personnel will be tied up as beefed-up security at the stadium. About a third of the crowd will be Rocket United, and more will be either guarding or patrolling the grounds."

"So we can break into the base," Misty offered.

"That's right," Amber confirmed. "We still have to be very careful, obviously. You can't be caught wandering around the base, or you'll be captured, or at the very least disqualified from the tournament."

"So as long as I don't get caught I'll be fine."

"Right," Amber confirmed doubtfully, "but don't underestimate Rocket United. They won't leave their base completely unguarded. Some of their best troops will be there, armed with some dangerous Shadow Pokémon. Remember it'll be hard to have your Pokémon healed, so you don't wanna risk too much breaking in there."

Misty felt reasonably confident about the breaking-in part – she'd broken into loads of places when she was travelling with Ash – it was the tournament that she was most worried about. Amber was right to assume that Misty's best work was done outside of Pokémon battles. She was a very, very good trainer, and probably the best water Pokémon trainer going around. But that didn't matter in a tournament like this. Just being good at using water Pokémon wasn't going to save her against opponents that were probably armed to the teeth with grass and electric types. But she couldn't worry too much about that right now. Amber had already been so helpful, there was little more she could do to put her at ease.

"Well, enough about all that," Misty smiled. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

Amber seemed a little unprepared for that. She sat up straighter and her body language became defensive.

"What would you like to know?" she asked. Not nervously, but definitely warily. Misty put it down to her being a spy. She probably wasn't used to answering questions about herself.

"Well, how long have you known Erika for?"

"About seven or eight years," she answered surprisingly quickly. "You might even remember me from when you passed through there. You and Ash helped save a bunch of us from Team Rocket that day. I remember Ash dressing up like a girl in order to get inside."

"I definitely won't forget _that_ in a hurry," Misty chuckled. "I can't believe I didn't recognise him at first. The outfit was just _awful_."

"Yeah!" Amber laughed. "You'd think they'd put some effort into it and at least put him in a dress or something."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Your memory is terrible, Amber!" she giggled. "He _was_ in a dress. The ugliest dress I've ever seen!"

"Maybe I just chose to forget it," Amber laughed, blushing heavily. "What an awful day that was."

"You couldn't have been there for too long when we were there," Misty stated. "Were you new back then? You'd have been a little older than us."

'Yeah, I'd only been there a little while. I was new to Pokémon back then, I was more into the flowers and the perfumes. I've always been a bit girly that way."

"I _wanted _to be more girly, but my sisters were always making fun of me, so I played up the tomboy thing quite a bit back then. I had to dress in the short shorts and the cute little tops and suspenders so I'd feel a little more like myself."

"Your sisters sound awful," Amber remarked compassionately. "What kind of sisters do that to a little girl?"

"Oh, you haven't met my sisters," Misty replied. "They're better now, but they were pretty mean to me when I was a kid. First chance I got, I ran off to do my own thing, away from them."

"I'm kinda glad your sisters treated you like that though."

Misty raised an eyebrow again. "Excuse me?"

Amber smiled cutely at her. "If they hadn't, you probably wouldn't be wearing those sexy little shorts now."

Misty blushed. "You're pretty persistent, aren't you? How do you know I'm gonna fall for your little seduction routine? _I_ don't even know if I like girls yet."

"I know how to get what I want," Amber smiled confidently. "Besides, tell me you've never been curious?"

"W-well," Misty stammered, struggling for the right words. "Maybe a little, I suppose…I guess I've kinda wondered what it would be like, maybe at one point."

Amber grinned, then started giggling. "I'm sorry, Misty. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable – well, maybe I do a little bit – I _do _wanna get to know you better though, in all seriousness."

Amber's demeanour changed from cheeky and seductive to serious and compassionate, which was appropriate, given Misty was still thinking about Gary, James and Meowth. She had to admit though that she was definitely _intrigued_ by Amber, she was even starting to find her strangely attractive.

_She's quite pretty, I suppose. She has nice skin, pretty hair, beautiful thin legs, and her ass is fantastic. I wish I'd been more like her when I was growing up. Maybe that's why I'm starting to feel…something._

She scolded herself for being so quick to jump to conclusions, even about herself, before she started thinking too much.

_Ease up, Misty. You just met this girl, and you're already wondering if you're bi?_

"Are you okay, Misty?"

She shook her head, snapping herself out of her thought train. "Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm just sorta preoccupied, with my friends all missing and everything, plus this tournament…it's all a little overwhelming."

"I understand," Amber nodded. "We've only known each other for half a day, but I hope I can prove to you that you can trust me. And I hope we can become closer. I really wanna help out here. I volunteered to spy for Erika because I wanted to do some good, and help take Rocket United down. I'm starting to think that maybe I was sent here to help you."

She reached across the table and softly took Misty's hands, stroking them with her thumbs.

"I like you," she continued, her voice soft and sweet, and very reassuring. "I wanna help out any way I can. I'll help get your friends back, and I'll help you with the Jessie League tournament too. And who knows? You might learn to like me too."

Misty smiled sweetly at her. She had to admit, it was comforting having Amber around. Her timing couldn't have been better, with Gary, James and Meowth now missing. She felt very fortunate having her here. And she _was_ super cute.

As the sun rose the next day, Amber was already up preparing breakfast for them both and Misty's Pokémon. She was dressed in a short, tight silky miniskirt – with predictable floral design – and a matching spaghetti strap top with a deep neckline, revealing her surprisingly impressive cleavage, teamed with a pair of black leather knee-high heeled boots. Misty hadn't really been attracted to women before – and she still wasn't entirely convinced that she was – but she was learning to, and she had to admit that Amber looked _stunning_. She couldn't take her eyes off her.

_I wish I looked that good in a skirt. And wow! Those boobs…so much for restrained Celadon Gym fashion sense._

"Morning, sunshine," Amber said in her pleasant sing-song voice. "You okay? Your eyes look like they're about to pop out."

Misty shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it, but it was no good. Whether she liked it or not, she was really attracted to Amber.

"You like my outfit? It's one of my favourites from my days in the Celadon Gym. It's a little small now, but I think it still looks good on me. I haven't had much chance to wear it lately; you know, the whole spy-thing, blending in. Wearing flowers all over your clothes sorta advertises you as one of Erika's spies. But I guess I'm not really spying today. It's nice, for a change."

"You look beautiful, Amber," Misty replied. "Cute _and_ super sexy. I wish I could pull that off."

"You can pull these off whenever you want," Amber said with a wink, making Misty blush heavily. She strutted sultrily over to her, placing a fresh coffee down on the table, then stepped around behind her, playing with Misty's hair.

_Wow,_ Misty thought. _She's really forward today._

"I hope I'm not being too presumptuous," she whispered, her lips lightly brushing Misty's ear. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Normally, I'd be _really_ uncomfortable right now," Misty admitted. "But you know what? Trust goes both ways, right?"

In that moment, Misty decided she wasn't going to be a nice, straight edge girl anymore. The whole world had gotten weird, and she _was_ starting to really like Amber. _Screw it,_ she thought. _Let's see what happens_.

Amber giggled softly, still millimetres from Misty's right ear. Her fingers made their way slowly and softly down Misty's neck, tracing gently until they reached her boobs.

"Stop me if you're not comfortable with this," Amber reminded her, still whispering in her ear. She began gently nibbling her earlobe, and Misty shuddered involuntarily, even moaning softly. Amber giggled again, knowing Misty was now feeling _very_ comfortable.

Her hands slid back up to Misty's shoulders then, squeezing them gently as she stopped nibbling her earlobe, then fixed Misty's hair.

"Don't stop," Misty moaned, "I was just starting to enjoy it. I've never been with a girl before, you know."

"I know," Amber smirked as she sat down in a chair adjacent to her. "But we should get going soon. We have to check the fixture for the tournament. It's released at eight."

Misty checked the time; it was only six-thirty. They still had an hour and a half before they had to be there.

"Come on, eat up," Amber insisted.

Misty smiled cheekily, then stood up out of her chair. She stepped over to Amber, standing as close to her as possible. Amber eyes were drawn to Misty's chest, then down at her hips, and quickly back up to her face.

"I have a better idea," Misty whispered in her ear, then straddled her, pressing her hips against her. She cupped Amber's face and glanced down at her lips before they both started kissing. Their tongues danced in each other's mouths, gently caressing each other as Amber's hands entangled themselves in Misty's hair. They kissed passionately for what seemed like ages. Amber's hands were busy, making their way down to Misty's butt, squeezing gently, then she put her hands in her back pockets and pulled her close as forcefully as she could. Misty responded by squeezing her thighs together, thankful that Amber's chairs had narrow backs. She squeezed gently at first, but as the kissing became more passionate she squeezed a little tighter, eventually making Amber moan a little too.

"God, you're strong," she said a little breathlessly. "I really love your lggffff–"

Her words were cut off as Misty playfully shoved her boobs in Amber's face, wrapping her arms around her head to hold her there.

"Shhh," Misty giggled, squeezing a tiny bit tighter. "Just enjoy this."

Amber pawed at Misty's legs, then her arms, but gradually understood that Misty wasn't going anywhere, and she didn't want her to. She could still breathe though, making soft moaning noises from between Misty's breasts. Amber relaxed in her chair and put her hands back on Misty's tight denim shorts as Misty sensually squeezed her waist a little tighter, pushing her boobs together with her arms so Amber's face was hugged in nice and snug. Amber's hands got busier, and Misty could tell she was really starting to enjoy herself so she detangled and stood up, going back to her own chair and started eating breakfast. A cheeky grin formed on her face as she ate, while Amber sat back breathlessly, hopelessly turned on.

"You play rough," she panted. "I like a girl that plays rough."

"And you like being teased," Misty replied with a wink. "Girls aren't so different to guys, you know. But they definitely kiss better."

"And here I thought you'd be more of a shy, romantic type," Amber laughed. "You're the least shy girl I've ever met."

"I was when I was younger," Misty admitted. "But I learnt once that being shy and hiding how you feel about someone doesn't get you anywhere. And guys aren't romantic like girls are. Not guys our age, anyway. What they want is sex."

"I'm guessing you're still a little unwilling to just hop into bed with someone, then?" Amber theorised.

"Of course," Misty confirmed. "But that doesn't mean I can't still have some fun with them."

"What about girls?"

"Well now I know I like squeezing and kissing them," Misty winked.

"I like you, Misty," Amber laughed. "I hope we're friends for a long time."

"Just friends?"

"If that squeezy, boob smothering thing is how you treat all your friends, then count me in," Amber giggled playfully.

They both blushed at each other for a few moments, each girl unable to stop smiling as they started eating the breakfast Amber had prepared. Misty was the first to break the comfortable silence.

"I almost forgot," she said with a mouthful of food. "The Pokémon."

She released all five of her Pokémon, which woke Pikachu up. All six quickly inhaled their breakfast and began talking amongst themselves while the girls prepared themselves to go to the Pokémon League stadium to find out the tournament fixture.


	5. Round 1

There were hundreds of trainers waiting to hear whether they'd be competing or not. With no qualifying rounds, it was either you got selected or you didn't, and Rocket United didn't explain the process they used for selection. This made the feeling of heavy bias and a generally rigged tournament all the more prevalent. No one was expecting that this would be in any way fair, though, so they arrived with a fierceness and a determination to do what they could to help save the world from Rocket United, regardless of how pathetically small their chances of competing actually were. Furthermore, there really wasn't any guarantee that Jessie would go through with her promise to have peace talks with the winner anyway.

_More likely she'll try and recruit the winner, or silence them permanently,_ Misty deduced.

A few people began murmuring to each other and pointing her out as she made her way into the crowd with Amber and Pikachu in tow. She heard someone calling her name from within the crowd, but didn't pay attention to it. There were a few people calling her name out, after all. She wasn't exactly a new face. She'd battled thousands of people in her time as Cerulean Gym Leader, after all, and she couldn't remember them all.

"Misty, wait up!" a young man's voice called over the crowd. "Hey, Misty!"

He was being too persistent, so Misty stopped and looked around for the source, and was surprised at who it belonged to.

"Misty! Remember me? We met eight years ago at the Pokémon League. My name's–"

"Ritchie?" she blurted. "Oh man, it's good to see you. Please tell me you signed up. We could use your talent out there, battling against Rocket United."

"I sure did," he said proudly. "I just hope I'm selected, but I ain't stupid. There's very little chance they'll choose me, with all my history of winning matches in Pokémon League tournaments."

"Don't give up," Misty assured him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Nobody knows the selection criteria. They're still essentially Team Rocket, they may be dumb enough to put you in the competition. You'd have a good chance of winning, you know."

"That's exactly why they _won't_ choose me," Ritchie countered with an ironic grin. He looked a little sad then, like he'd lost someone close to him recently.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked.

"It's just…good to see you, that's all. I hope this isn't the last time. Plus, I don't see Ash with you anywhere. Does that mean the Rockets captured him, or worse?"

"No, he's hasn't been captured. Not that I know of, anyway," Misty told him. "But he _is_ missing. He went off on one of his adventures some months ago, and didn't take anything with him. Not even a phone or anything. Brock's with him, but he went without taking anything too."

"Man, of all the times he could go off like that," Ritchie lamented. "We really could have used him out here."

"I know!" Misty agreed. "I'm gonna slap him so hard when he comes back."

Ritchie smiled. "It's really great to see that you're okay, Misty. I'm glad you came here. But do you think they'll let you compete? You're a gym leader, after all."

"I have a feeling that I'll be competing," she answered with a slight pout.

"You don't seem too excited about it."

"It's not that," she replied. "It's just that…it hasn't been a great last couple of days," she said, remembering the huge Rocket presence in the hall they were gathered in. She didn't want to give away too much in case one of them overheard.

"Yeah I know that feeling," Ritchie said, looking down at his feet. "It seems like everyone I know with any kind of talent has just up and left. I'm the only one still here, ready to compete. I thought some of them would have the fortitude to stand up and fight these guys, but I guess not."

"These gangsters don't always play by the rules, Ritchie," Misty said sternly. "It wouldn't surprise me if they had no choice in the matter."

"Nah, there's no way they'd be captured by some Rocket United thug," Ritchie disagreed.

"I wouldn't be so sure," she insisted. "I can't say much, but I was here with some pretty strong guys just yesterday."

"You think they were–"

Misty cut him off with a finger to her lips, and he nodded knowingly in response.

"You mind if I stick with you guys?" he asked. "I'm sorta here by myself, and it'd be nice to be around someone I know for a change. Hey, Pikachu! I didn't see you back there!"

Amber stepped forward to introduce herself, with Pikachu perched on her shoulder.

"Ritchie, this is Amber. She's from Celadon City, she used to work in the gym with Erika. Amber, this is an old friend of mine and Ash's, Ritchie."

"I remember you," Amber said with her sweetest smile. "I fought you before you battled Erika, a long time ago."

"Really?" Ritchie replied, scratching his head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I honestly can't remember you."

"It's okay," Amber chirped. "You've probably battled thousands of trainers. I hardly expect you to remember just one."

"Was it a good match?" Ritchie asked.

"You beat me pretty easily, but I was only new myself back then," Amber told him.

"I hope I was nice to you," Ritchie responded. "You seem like a nice girl. Anyway, would you guys mind if I hung out with you?"

"Of course not!" Amber answered in her cute sing-song voice. "Right, Mist? Any friend of Misty's is a friend of mine."

Misty frowned instinctively; she hated people speaking on her behalf, much less making decisions for her. She liked Amber, but that annoyed her. Not that she would have refused Ritchie, she just didn't want Amber making her decisions for her.

Ritchie released his own Pikachu, Sparky, and the two Pikachu caught up with each other, chatting away in their Pikachu dialect. The five of them headed through the crowd some more, people everywhere pointing and remarking that Misty, Cerulean Gym Leader was here, and wondering if she'd be competing in the tournament. Before they could get to the front, a woman called for quiet from a podium set up at the back of the hall. She was dressed in a customised Rocket United uniform that consisted of a very tight black sleeveless mini-dress, with white thigh-high heeled boots and matching white gloves that reached almost to her shoulders. Her long, golden blonde hair was tied into pigtails that reached her waist. Misty recognised her instantly.

"That's Cassidy," she whispered to Ritchie. "Her and Jessie used to hate each other when they were both in Team Rocket. Now I guess she works for her. She was just like Jessie, but smarter and meaner."

"There are eight available places in the Jessie League tournament," Cassidy announced. "Each match will be fought against a representative of Rocket United, and the civilian trainer will advance to the next round if he or she wins their match. Any civilian that loses will be escorted from the stadium, but is free to re-enter as a spectator. No pokémon will be allowed in the stadium unless they belong to competitors.

"Round one will consist of eight matches, and will occur over two days, as time permits. Round two will occur a day's break after round one. There will be a day's break between each of the rounds. Matches will start at two in the afternoon, and will end when the last match ends, or as close to eight at night as possible, when the curfew begins. The curfew will only be adjusted for spectators and competitors of the Jessie League tournament, all normal civilians will still have the curfew enforced as per normal.

"The Semi-Finals will begin when there are two civilian competitors left in the competition. The Grand Final is the only match where two civilians may be allowed to battle each other – each match leading up to the Grand Final _will_ be contested against a Rocket United representative. In the unlikely case of every civilian winning their matches in the first round, they will compete a second round against Rocket United representatives. If all Rocket United representatives are again defeated, the Jessie League tournament will be contested between civilians only. The competitors chosen for the Jessie League tournament will now be announced."

Cassidy was hating this job, especially having to call the tournament the 'Jessie League', Misty observed. Although she seemed to like having a position of power within the Rocket United organisation.

"She's a little old for that outfit," Amber whispered, making Misty giggle. "I mean, thigh-high boots? What is she, like, forty? You know, you should _so_ get a pair of those boots. In black though. You'd look hot," she whispered, pinching Misty's butt playfully.

Misty knew Cassidy was probably only about thirty or so, but it was still funny. She did wonder to herself if she'd look any good in thigh-high boots, but dismissed it pretty quickly; dominatrix/stripper just wasn't her style. She shushed Amber with a giggle and brushed her hand away as Cassidy began reading out the names. Six names were called out before Ritchie started sweating bullets.

"…Ritchie Jackson, and last of all…Misty Waterflower?"

Cassidy turned around, muting the microphone with her hand as she spoke to another Rocket grunt. Misty saw him nodding, and Cassidy shrugging her shoulders, then shaking her head.

"Sorry about that, last of all is Misty Waterflower. Now everyone pay attention, the first round matches will be displayed on the screen above. Remember to return here after each round to see when your next match is occurring."

A loud murmur rose from the crowd, with many people looking in Misty's direction as Ritchie and Misty looked up, searching for their names and headshots. Ritchie had the last match on day two, and Misty was up first on day one.

"Talk about pressure," she blurted. "First cab off the rank? Really?"

"I'm kinda glad I got the last match, but it's gonna be hard to sit still, waiting for my match to start. I hope none of us 'civilians' loses. That'll teach those sons of bitches to mess with the people," Ritchie said defiantly.

As they walked out, people stared at them left, right and centre. _This must be what it's like to be famous_, Misty thought.

"Hey Misty," a young man in his early twenties said, stepping in their path. "You won't remember me, but I battled you years ago in the Cerulean Gym, just before you had that three-year winning streak? I was the first one who lost to you."

Misty waited for him to keep going, but the young man was really nervous.

"I-I'm sorry, it's not important. You're probably really busy, so I won't keep you. I just wanted to say that you made an impression on me that day. And I'm not the only one. A lot of people here really respect you. You always gave us all the support we needed, and helped us on our journeys. I just wanted to say, on behalf of all the people here who are too nervous to talk to you, thanks for being the best Gym Leader in Kanto, you're like a friend to all of us, and it's great knowing you're competing. Good luck, I hope you kick Rocket United's ass and take Jessie down for good!"

The young man very nervously shook her hand, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Wow," Ritchie observed. "You're a real celebrity, huh. I kinda wish you'd been the gym leader at Cerulean when I was passing through there."

"I'd have whooped you, Ritchie," she winked. "But I'm starting to feel a little pressure. I mean, these people need me to win, for everyone's sakes. I just wish Gary was here, or Ash, or _anyone_, really."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Ritchie said. "You're just as good a trainer as either of those guys. Besides, I'm here too. There's six others that are all here to take the Rockets down. We'll win this thing, Misty."

"Yeah, relax," Amber chipped in. "You'll never do well if you're this nervous."

"You're right," Misty sighed. "Come on, let's go and do some last minute training. I could use a warm-up before tomorrow."

* * *

The crowd, which was indeed one-third Rocket United grunts just as Amber had said, was loud even for what it was. It had been a long time since Misty had attended a Pokémon League match, and she'd forgotten what it was like. She tried to spot Ritchie and Amber in the crowd, but there had to be at least fifty thousand people in the stadium, not including all the Rocket United gangsters. It was impossible to locate anyone.

To Rocket United's credit, the tournament seemed just like any other. The atmosphere, despite the extremely heavy Rocket presence, was so normal there were times she forgot how important it all was. It really was amazing that such an event could be organised so quickly, although Misty knew that the fear of death did wonders for a person's commitment.

She waited patiently in the causeway for the announcer to begin the proceedings. Pikachu was perched on her left shoulder, and she was starting to find his presence comforting. He oozed confidence, which she supposed was hardly surprising given his extensive experience in League battles. She touched each of her six pokéballs, reassuring herself that they were all there and nothing terrible had happened to them in the five minutes since she last checked. They were held in a customised belt her sisters had given to her a few years ago. It was made of brown leather, and with a pretty design etched into it. It held the six pokéballs three-a-side, and despite its utilitarian nature, Misty thought it looked really good. She tightened it up one notch and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

The rest of her outfit was pretty standard Misty: black off-the-shoulder cropped t-shirt with skin-tight blue denim shorts that barely reached the bottom of her butt. Amber insisted that she borrow a pair of her black knee-high heeled boots, and although they took a little getting used to, she was growing to like them. She reached down and touched the soft leather, smiling to herself. She felt confident in them, sexy even. Confidence was something she definitely needed out there.

She brushed her long red hair away from her face and sighed as the announcer began getting the crowd's attention.

_"…and we have a hell of a first match for you here today. Representing the illustrious Rocket United, a man who probably doesn't even need the rising trainers' podiums, the six-foot-eight behemoth that is Atmos!"_

Misty watched as Atmos entered the arena. There were a lot of boos, but this was offset by just as much cheering from the huge portion of the crowd that were actually members of Rocket United. She was glad for the booing, but the cheering unsettled her slightly.

_How could anyone cheer for a guy that does the sort of things that the Rockets do?_

She remembered why she was here, even if it was against her will. She hadn't wanted to compete at all, she'd wanted Gary to do it. Gary was the only one Misty had any real faith in to win a tournament such as this. Even Ritchie probably didn't have what it takes. But Gary had the brains, the attitude, the strategy, everything.

_But Gary isn't here, you are. You can't rely on someone else to do the battling, this time. It's all up to you, Misty,_ she told herself. _Jessie put you here to embarrass you in front of the whole world. It's time to show her and the rest of Rocket United what you're really made of._

_"For the civilians, we've got a girl that many of you already know. She needs no introduction in Kanto, but we're giving her one anyway. You know her as the Cerulean City Gym Leader, it's the beauty from the Blue City, the stunner with the Starmie, Misty Waterflower!"_

Misty entered the arena, walking as confidently as she could, trying to be as serious as she possibly could be. She heard the crowd going ballistic for her, pierced by thousands of whistles, and read dozens of signs and banners from people, mostly men, professing their love for her and such, and she lost her serious composure completely. She waved to the crowd, blew them kisses and even struck several poses. A few wolf-whistles penetrated the roar of the crowd, which made her blush a little.

_I didn't know I was going to do that,_ she admitted to herself. _I've gone all girly, and I'm playing the crowd…man, I can't lose now! I'll look so stupid if I lose!_

She forcefully reminded herself that there was more at stake here than just her reputation and her public image. She had to win this match for the good of people and Pokémon everywhere, or it might just be game over for the whole world.

She stepped up to the blue trainer podium, which she thought was a nice touch, and hoped was organised by the Pokémon League people and not Rocket United. It raised itself slowly up above the battlefield, eventually reaching a height of around thirty feet before it stopped. She was about to wonder aloud how her Pokémon were going to hear her commands from all the way up there when she noticed a microphone affixed to the front of the podium.

_So the whole crowd can hear everything I say…great._

_"Blue trainer, choose your first Pokémon!"_ the announcer instructed.

_Yes, of course I have to choose first. It wouldn't be rigged if I didn't. Well, here goes. No surprises just yet, keep your cards close to your chest for now, Misty._

"I choose Starmie!" she yelled, throwing the pokéball down to the battlefield below, and watching the red light funnel out of it and form into her beloved Starmie.

"Predictable as ever, water girl," Atmos spat. "I've got you well and truly covered. Go Vileplume!"

Misty grinned. _You should have chosen an electric type, pal._

_"Both challengers are ready," _the announcer continued. _"Let the first match of Round One of the Jessie League tournament begin!"_

"Vileplume, Petal Dance!"

The Vileplume was clearly a Shadow Pokémon. It seemed angry at Starmie, and charged like it was crazed, flinging its leaves around like a Pokémon possessed. Misty had seen dozens and dozens of Vileplume using this attack before, but never like this. Luckily, she had a lot of countermeasures for this sort of thing. She _was_ an expert water trainer, after all.

"Starmie, Bubblebeam and fan out!"

Starmie leapt backwards, taking up a position closer to the back of the battlefield, and obediently spat out an intense beam of bubbles that flowed in a fan-like shape towards the Vileplume. Every leaf was knocked out of the air in seconds, and Vileplume was knocked backwards a dozen feet. The crowd cheered loudly, and Misty was starting to feel pretty good, until Vileplume got back up completely unscathed.

"Is that all ya got, girly?" Atmos mocked. "Keep goin', Vileplume. Put that stupid lookin' starfish in a coma!"

The Vileplume kept up its charge, diving straight through Starmie's wall of bubbles this time. It struck Starmie square in the centre of its body, straight into the ground. Vileplume then leapt into the air and stomped Starmie right in its jewel, without even being told. Starmie's jewel flashed a couple of times, and it looked like it was in some serious pain.

"Hey!" Misty yelled angrily, then remembered this was Jessie's tournament, and there was nothing she could do. They were going to fight dirty, and not even the Pokémon League official could do anything about it. She just had to keep fighting anyway.

"Starmie, Hydro Pump!"

Starmie pointed all of its appendages up in the air as the Vileplume was coming down for another stomp. With a couple of feet to spare, Starmie pumped out a powerful blast of water, hitting the Vileplume neatly in the middle of the face, and launching it into the stratosphere. It landed with an almighty _thump_, and Starmie quickly and painfully got to its feet.

But Vileplume wasn't done yet. It too got to its feet, and started charging at Starmie yet again, still without being given an order to do so.

"You're laughable, Gym Leader," Atmos taunted her. "No wonder so many people enter the Pokémon League. I bet you're practically givin' those Cascade Badges away for nothin'."

Misty was mad now. She grabbed the rails at the front of the podium and yelled as loud as she could.

"Starmie! Psychic attack! Bury that Vileplume!"

Starmie focused its energy, lifting the Vileplume off the ground. Vileplume wasn't even the slightest bit deterred by this though, and launched a flurry of leaves straight at Starmie. Despite the massive beating it was taking, Starmie held its ground, refusing to give in. It lifted Vileplume above the battlefield to the same height as the trainers' podiums, then sent it crashing down to earth, hard. Vileplume became a blue and green scud missile as it hit the battlefield, leaving a small crater at the impact site. Vileplume was well and truly knocked out this time, and couldn't move a muscle. Unfortunately, neither could Starmie.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle," the League official announced.

"_Wow, folks! Just wow! Have you ever seen a more fiercely fought battle in your life? No wonder she's a Gym Leader! Let's see how Atmos responds. Who will he choose to battle with this time?"_

"Nuh-uh," Atmos sniggered, waving his index finger. "Blue goes first."

"Fine by me, creep," Misty sneered. "Starmie, return! Go, Pikachu!"

"_PIKA!"_ Pikachu screeched with determination.

"What?" Atmos shouted. "That's no water Pokémon!"

"And loser's supposed to go first, but you don't hear me complaining. Choose your Pokémon or forfeit the match, loser," Misty mocked.

"Oh that's it, you're done now," Atmos growled. "I'm gonna crush your stupid little rat! Go Electivire!"

Pikachu leapt off the podium, landing perfectly composed on all fours, electricity leaking viciously from his cheeks. He looked pissed off, and that made Misty feel pretty good.

_I've seen Pikachu do some incredible things. You're not gonna know what hit you, Atmos._

"Electivire, Thunder attack!"

Misty didn't even bother issuing a command. No electric attack could possibly hurt Pikachu, short of an attack from a Zapdos. Pikachu was far too strong these days.

Electivire launched a powerful Thunder attack, the electricity arcing up into the sky and back down in a fierce beam of yellow-white light, aiming straight at Pikachu's head. Pikachu remained on all fours, electricity still spitting angrily from his cheeks. He didn't move at all until the very last moment, when he flicked his tail into the air to absorb the entire blast.

"No way…" Atmos gasped. "What the hell Pokémon _is_ that?"

"That's _nothing_," Misty yelled. "Pikachu, agility and double-team!"

Pikachu immediately split into hundreds of lightning-quick Pikachus, each moving so fast it was impossible to trace them all. Pikachu had obviously done this one with Ash a few times in Misty's absence, because he was very, _very_ good at it. Electivire blasted electricity out in every direction, trying to hit Pikachu with anything at all, but it was hopeless. It just couldn't keep up with Pikachu's incredible speed.

"Pikachu, keep it up! Add Quick Attack!" Misty smirked.

Pikachu started randomly charging Electivire, hitting it from the opposite direction to which it was attacking from, knocking it to the ground again and again. Electivire looked tired. It was totally outmatched, and was getting soundly destroyed by the much smaller Pikachu.

"_Well it looks like this match is a bit one-sided, folks. That Electivire looks mean, it looks mad, and it looks tough as nails, but boy is it copping one hell of a hiding out there. I think this one might just be done," _the announcer quipped.

"I'll show you 'done'," Atmos grunted angrily. "Electivire, Thunderpunch!"

Electivire charged up its fist, electricity surrounding its whole arm. It reared its fist back and sent it flying straight at…nothing. Electivire suddenly fell forwards, shoved hard into the rocky battlefield. As just got to its feet again it was smashed from the side, hitting the ground hard yet again. Electivire was thoroughly beaten. Pikachu was simply mocking it now.

"That's enough, Pikachu, I think Atmos is about to cry," Misty said with a smirk, and the civilians in the crowd laughed, making Atmos even madder. "Finish off the Shadow Electivire with a _real_ Thunder attack."

Pikachu continued to use Agility while it charged up the attack, only standing still once it was fully charged. He didn't stand just anywhere; Pikachu chose to stop right in Electivire's face, screaming a massive _CHUUUU! _as he hit Electivire with a full-force Thunder attack from point-blank range. Electivire was launched horizontally across the stadium floor, hitting the wall hard, knocked out cold.

"Electivire is unable to battle!" the League Official stated. "Pikachu is the winner!"

"_And that's all for Electivire, Misty's Pikachu wins that one easily! Atmos will have to do better than that if he hopes to beat Cerulean's finest."_

"It must be tough having your big, strong Electivire crushed by my little Pikachu," Misty mocked Atmos. "Your Rocket friends will be so disappointed if you lose to a little 'water girl' like me. You better think of something fast, big guy."

Atmos' face was red with rage. The veins on his forehead looked like they would burst if Misty mocked him any more. So naturally, she did.

"Come on, we haven't got all day. I wonder how the crowd feels about waiting this long?"

The crowd, all on Misty's side except, obviously, for the Rocket contingent, booed Atmos immediately on Misty's command.

"Can't argue with the crowd, Atmos," Misty continued. "Looks like they're on _my_ side. Come on, hurry up. Pikachu needs something else to make a lamp out of."

Pikachu joined in the mockery now too, sitting down on the battlefield and feigning sleepiness.

"You think you're so damn clever, don't ya little girl," Atmos sneered. "Well, I got news for you, little red, Rocket United knows all about you, and we knew what Pokémon you were bringing. We know _all _the Pokémon _all_ of you are bringing! What do ya think of _that_?"

The crowd's booing became a little less raucous when they heard that, but Misty had ceased worrying by now. She was pretty confident that no matter what Atmos chose, it wouldn't stand a chance against her…

"Go, Golem!"

…Unless it was a Golem.

_Oh well, _she thought, _I've still got another Pokémon left to choose, and Pikachu's still pretty fresh. I'm not worried._

"Fine, your choice," Misty shrugged. "Pikachu, return! I choose Bulbasaur!"

Pikachu returned to the edge of the battlefield, directly underneath the trainers' podium as Bulbasaur emerged from his pokéball.

"_Atmos has chosen a Golem to fight against Pikachu's ferocious electric attacks. But Misty's still got another Pokémon and some more tricks up her sleeves, or perhaps in her boots. Bring on Bulbasaur!"_

"Golem, Earthquake!"

Golem leapt into the air, crashing down onto the battlefield with an enormous _thud _that shook the stadium. Bulbasaur lost his footing, struggling to get back up as the stadium floor continued to shake.

"Now, Golem! Rollout!"

Golem started spinning, kicking up dust and flinging it into the fence behind it before it gained traction and flung forwards, bouncing around as it sped towards Bulbasaur across the shaking stadium floor.

"Bulbasaur! Vine whip the ground!" Misty yelled, and just in time. Bulbasaur threw himself into the air with his vines, just as Golem knocked the vines out from beneath him. Golem didn't stop though, and made a sharp left-turn, wheeling around to aim right for Bulbasaur again.

"Bulbasaur! Into the air again, then use Sunny Day!" Misty commanded, forming a plan.

Bulbasaur did as he was told, expertly using Vine Whip to jump into the air, this time doing it quickly enough that Golem couldn't knock the vines out from under him. As he leapt, Bulbasaur shot a beam into the sky from the bulb on his back, making the sun beat down with tremendous force and blinding brightness. Golem kept spinning around the battlefield, gaining speed constantly. Misty had to act fast, or Bulbasaur would be crushed by the rampaging rock Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur, leap up again, keep dodging!"

Bulbasaur kept it up, leaping into the air moments before Golem came rushing through, missing by several feet, then only by a single foot, then only by inches.

_This isn't working,_ Misty admitted to herself. _I have to think of something._

But it was too late, Golem caught up with Bulbasaur, running right over him. Bulbasaur screamed in pain; Golem was one of the heaviest Pokémon, and Rollout was one of its most devastating attacks. Gary had warned her about it, having experienced first-hand what Rocket United's Golems were capable of.

Bulbasaur lay prone on the battlefield, unable to move.

"Bulbasaur is un–" the League Official started to announce, but was cut off by Bulbasaur getting to his feet again.

"That's the way, Bulbasaur! You can do it!" Misty yelled encouragingly. She had to admit, Ash had done a very good job training Bulbasaur. "Quickly, hit it with a Solarbeam!"

Sunny Day worked a treat – there was no delay at all from Solarbeam. Instantly, a massive beam of light shot straight out and struck Golem dead centre, stopping it dead in its tracks. Unfortunately, that's all it did. Golem resumed the Rollout attack again, and hit Bulbasaur once more. This time Bulbasaur was too injured to get out of the way in time.

"Come on, Bulbasaur, get up!" Misty yelled hopefully, but it was no good. Bulbasaur was down for the count.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Golem is the winner!" the League Official stated, this time for certain.

_I've been a fool,_ Misty thought to herself. _I got too cocky. This guy might be a total meat-head, but his Pokémon are brutal. They just keep getting up. I've gotta be smarter than this. I can't just win this with straight attacks. What would Ash do? He was always thinking of clever, out of the ordinary things to do…_

Pikachu stepped back into the battlefield, sparks shooting out of his cheeks, a determined frown on his little face.

"_Well, I wasn't expecting that,"_ the announcer said. _"Golem's savagely strong, even Bulbasaur's ultimate attack wasn't enough to take it down, even with a two-type advantage. A shame Misty doesn't have another of her famous water-type Pokémon to battle with here today, but she's already shown herself to be an extraordinary trainer. Let's see what Pikachu and her can pull out of the bag this time."_

"Not so confident now, are ya girly?" Atmos sniggered. "That little Pikachu won't even _touch_ my Golem."

"He won't even have to," Misty smirked. She knew exactly what to do.

_Ash would use Golem's biggest strength against it_, she reasoned. _If he can do it, so can I_.

"Golem, Rollout!" Atmos yelled confidently, and Golem immediately resumed its attack.

It sped around the battlefield, seemingly even faster than before, but not as fast as Pikachu, who was already using Agility. After using Agility so extensively in the last battle though, Pikachu probably wouldn't last too long, and Misty knew it.

She let Pikachu dance around the arena a little longer, waiting for Golem to build up sufficient speed. It didn't take long; Golem was ruthless.

_Now_, she told herself.

"Pikachu, leap into the air! Thunderbolt the ground just in front of Golem!"

Pikachu seemed to understand what Misty had planned, and did exactly as she ordered. He leapt into the air, charging up a huge Thunderbolt attack. He watched Golem spin its way around the battlefield, then blasted a massive crater right in Golem's path. The huge rock Pokémon spun right into the crater and up the other side, sending itself flying into the air, then crashing down with an almighty _thud_.

The Golem managed to pick itself up off the ground, but it was clearly dazed.

"Go, Pikachu! Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" he yelled, then charged forward at top speed, skidding around in a circle as he got close, then stamping his feet into the ground for traction and whipping Golem with a hardened, steel-like tail. Golem roared in pain, chunks of rock flying off it in all directions. Pikachu kept up the assault, seeing how well it was working, spinning one way, then the other, over and over again, whipping Golem with every ounce of energy he had. Golem was defenceless; Pikachu was hitting it so quickly that there was nothing it could do. Eventually, Pikachu sensed that Golem was on its last legs and charged up a last, massive electric attack.

"CHUUUUU!" he yelled as he blasted Golem with a huge Thunderbolt. That was all it could handle, and Golem passed out, charred and defeated.

Pikachu panted breathlessly as the League Official observed Golem.

"Golem is unable to battle. Pikachu and Misty are the winners!"

The crowd erupted into fanatical cheering and applause. The Rocket contingent obviously stayed seated, arms crossed, while their civilian counterparts celebrated wildly.

_I bet this isn't what Jessie had planned_, Misty smirked lopsidedly as the trainers' podiums lowered back down to ground-level.

Pikachu ran over to Misty, leaping up into her arms elatedly.

"You did so well, Pikachu, you've gotten so strong! Thanks for battling with me, I owe you one."

Pikachu chirped out a response, one that Misty could have sworn was intended to say 'don't mention it'. She was getting used to Pikachu's speech, but she wasn't quite that good yet.

"_That was some battle!" _the announcer said excitedly. _"Misty Waterflower wins her first round match against Rocket United's Atmos, taking him down two-to-three. A hard-fought match by both trainers, and I'm sure all of them will sleep well tonight!"_

Misty and Pikachu exited the stadium, Pikachu waving to the crowd from Misty's shoulder, while Misty waved and blew the odd kiss as well.

_Lucky boots,_ she thought as they clopped loudly along the causeway's concrete floor. _Maybe I'll switch from sneakers after all_.

As she walked out into the private competitors' area, the next trainer was already waiting to go out, despite there being a half-hour intermission between matches.

"That was pretty incredible, Misty," the trainer, a youngish dark-haired girl said. She was dressed in loose cargo pants, with a tight black t-shirt, and she was very pretty, but equally as nervous.

"Thanks, it was harder than I thought out there."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Weren't you expecting it to be hard?"

Misty smiled at her. "What's your name?" she asked the girl.

"Katie," she answered. "I'm from Vermillion City."

"Well, Katie from Vermillion City," Misty said, "I've never fought a Shadow Pokémon before, so I had no idea what to expect. Don't let the Rockets' appearance fool you, those Pokémon are tough. They keep getting up, no matter how hard you hit them. Use your head, and don't expect to beat them the normal way."

"Shadow Pokémon…" Katie said, trailing off into her thoughts. "I've heard of them. Thanks for the advice, I think I understand now. This competition really is rigged, huh."

"It's worse than you think," Misty answered solemnly. "Good luck, Katie. I hope I see you again."

As Misty walked out of the competitor's area and into the public area of the stadium, somehow she knew that she wouldn't see Katie from Vermillion City ever again.


	6. The Break-In

Misty had to explain to Ritchie what was going on so he'd understand why she couldn't attend his match at the tournament. He wasn't thrilled about it, but he understood what was at stake. He suggested to Amber and Misty that they wait until the day after his match, during the day's break between rounds, so he could assist them. He insisted that he'd helped Misty and Ash before and he'd be absolutely more than happy to lend a hand this time too, and that his help would come in handy. Unfortunately, he had to admit that Amber was right when she said it would only work while the actual tournament matches were taking place, and with his match occurring on a different day to Misty's, there wasn't any way it would work unless they waited until the next round. Misty assured him that leaving Gary, James and Meowth with Rocket United for as long as they already had was despicable enough – leaving them there for any longer was totally out of the question.

Ritchie was required to arrive at the stadium two hours before his scheduled start time, just like all the other civilian competitors in the Jessie League tournament, so he'd already left, leaving Misty and Amber to make final preparations before heading to the Rocket United base of operations in Indigo Plateau. They were on a strict timetable: they had to be at the base close to the official start time of the day's tournament matches, which was two in the afternoon. Any earlier and there'd be too many Rocket United grunts in and around the base. Any later, and they'd risk being stuck in the base while things like shift swaps and other movements were happening later in the day. Amber told her that the shift swaps would happen at around two, six and then ten for the night shift, and that once the tournament was over for the day that all the Rocket United grunts who were attending the tournament would all come flooding back in to the base. The two girls planned to be in the base just after two o'clock, and hopefully out again before three. Amber was fairly sure that just under one hour would be more than enough time to get in, find Gary and the others and get out again.

Misty was looking through her backpack for something inconspicuous to wear when she noticed it was slightly more full than she remembered it being. She removed all her stuff, throwing it onto the bed Amber had supplied for her, and hit the bottom of the bag. _Nothing unusual there_, she thought, a little puzzled. _I'm sure it wasn't very full when I left home_.

Then she noticed that the bottom of the bag was of a completely different material than the rest of the bag. She scratched at it, noting the different textures, and felt it moving slightly. She stuck her fingers down the side of the bag, managing to wedge them in between the bag bottom and the side, and carefully pulled the whole bottom free, tossing it onto the bed with the rest of her stuff and revealing a secret compartment built into the bottom. It had a piece of foam in it, cut to fit the bottom of her backpack perfectly, with space for six round–

–_Pokéballs! Gary's Pokéballs!_ _He hid them in my bag all this time!_

She thought Gary would have taken them with him, and she was sure he had them with him when they arrived in Indigo Plateau. _He must have known something was gonna happen. How strange…_

"Did you find something to wear?" Amber asked as she entered the room. "I can lend you something if you haven't got anything – hey, whose pokéballs are those?"

"They're Gary's," Misty answered. "I didn't know they were there, I just found them hidden in the bottom of my bag."

"That was lucky," Amber stated, her eyebrows raised. "Rocket United would have stolen them for sure if he'd taken them with him. Which reminds me, you should leave yours here too."

Misty didn't like that suggestion at all.

"And what the fuck could possibly possess me to do _that_?" she asked angrily. "If anything happens to us, _anything at all_, we're totally screwed without them."

"And if you take them with you and we get caught, you'll lose them forever. It's too risky, Mist."

Misty was getting really fired up now. It had been too long since she'd had a good argument.

"If I get _caught_ I can _use_ them to help me escape! I can't do that if I don't bring them with me! And stop calling me Mist! You called me that once before too, and I hate it. Only Ash, Gary and my sisters get to call me Mist."

"Stop acting like a child!" Amber retorted, getting flustered herself now. "You can't fight your way out of Rocket United's base! You'll _die_!"

Amber stopped yelling then. She rushed out of the room crying, and Misty followed her. Misty knew she was right, and she wasn't about to back down, but she _did_ feel a tiny bit bad for making Amber cry, even though she couldn't understand why she was crying at all.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" she asked, still sounding a little angry.

"I thought we were friends now," Amber sobbed, laying face down on her bed. "You don't even care if you get yourself killed! What if _I_ care, huh? You didn't think about that, did you!"

Misty was a little confused. They'd known each other for two days, and she thought that was hardly enough time to be crying over someone, considering the scenario Amber was talking about hadn't even happened.

"Well, no," Misty admitted. "They're my friends, I _have_ to go rescue them. Going into that base totally unarmed is the dumbest thing I could do. I have to protect myself."

"We _can_ do this unarmed," Amber insisted. "If we sneak around, avoid detection, you know, like a _spy_, we'll be fine. I'm an expert at this stuff, remember? That's what I've been doing here since the Rockets rolled into town, after all. I'm just saying, if you go in there expecting a fight, then you'll definitely get one. And you'll lose. I can't lose you, Misty."

"Look, I understand where you're coming from," Misty responded irritably, "but I can sneak around just as effectively while carrying six pokéballs. That's why they invented pokéballs; so you don't have to carry the whole Pokémon around."

"Just trust me, Misty," Amber pleaded, sitting up on the bed and facing her. "I've been spying for a while now, and I've seen some horrible things. I don't want to see anything happen to you. I'm starting to really like you. Just _please_, don't take your Pokémon with you."

Misty threw her hands up in the air in frustration. She turned around and mimed screaming a curse word so Amber wouldn't see her, and had an idea.

"What if we take Pikachu with us, and leave all my pokéballs here with Gary's? Pikachu's broken into more places than both of us, and he's a lot less conspicuous. His small size and his abilities might even come in handy."

Amber wiped the tears from her cheeks and recomposed herself as she thought about Misty's suggestion. She scrunched up her face a couple of times, looking up into the air in different directions while she pondered it.

"I suppose he's probably as good at spying as I am," she admitted. "And yes, his small size might come in handy if we need to squeeze through a tiny gap…okay, he can come with us."

Misty smiled, more of a victory smile than a friendly smile. "Awesome," she said. "Well, I'm sorry I yelled at you…let's get going, okay?"

"Okay," Amber replied, getting to her feet. "Just let me put on something a bit less flowery and we can go."

She paced her way over to Misty and took her hands. Misty was still a little flustered, and not really in the mood to be hand-holding. Besides, she was about to break in to the Rocket United base; it was time for business.

"I'm sorry we argued," Amber said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you. I really do care about you, you know."

"I know," Misty answered. "I didn't mean to make you cry, I'm just really focused on rescuing my friends."

"Don't worry, we'll get them back," Amber smiled, then kissed Misty softly on the lips, holding it for a few moments. "I'll be a minute."

Amber came out dressed in a nondescript tight black singlet and a very short, tight black miniskirt. She'd explained earlier that the female Rocket United grunts usually got around in similar black clothes when they were off-duty at the base. Misty had a tiny black crop top showing a ton of cleavage, and that was about as close as she could get. Amber had offered her something less revealing, but Misty wasn't afraid to show a little skin, and she thought it might just come in handy if she got held up by a male Rocket grunt. For bottoms, she had a black pair of denim short shorts, just as small and tight as her favourite blue ones. Misty had initially expressed some concern that they both looked a little too slutty to blend in anywhere, but Amber assured her that the female Rocket grunts were no more afraid of showing a lot of skin than Misty was.

Amber had given her an old pale blue t-shirt to wear over the top of her little black crop top until they arrived at the base, insisting that the patrolling Rockets would question them both if they were getting around town in skimpy black attire for no apparent reason. As they got within a block of the base, they waited for the patrollers to be facing away from them and quickly ducked into a nearby alley, ditching their coloured t-shirts nearby.

"We can sneak in through this door here," Amber said, gesturing at an electronic code-locked door recessed into the ground a few steps. "Don't worry, I've got the code."

Amber typed the code in: it was a simple four-number code, but it didn't work. Amber's face went red, and she seemed to be a little flustered about it. More flustered than Misty thought a spy would get in such a circumstance, but then she wasn't a spy herself.

Pikachu leapt off Misty's shoulder, saying that he wouldn't mind having a go.

"What's he saying?" Amber asked.

"He says he'll handle it," Misty answered quietly.

"No don't!" Amber urged, but it was too late. Pikachu zapped the lock, and the door clicked audibly as the lock released.

"It's fine," Misty assured her with a sweet smile. "They'll figure out their prisoners have escaped long before they realise Pikachu fried the door."

"That's not very reassuring," Amber pouted. "I could have just found another way in."

"And now you don't have to," Misty grinned. "Come on, time's wasting."

"Chu!" Pikachu agreed, following her inside.

The room they'd broken into looked like some sort of fire escape, and had nothing in it at all except another door.

"Right," Amber whispered, looking at Misty with more seriousness than she'd shown since they met. "This is where the patrollers leave for their shifts. Through this door is the armoury, where they keep their Pokémon. There'll be a guard in there behind a cage who issues the Pokémon out before the grunts go out on patrol. Through there is a common area. It should be pretty empty, since most of them will probably be at the tournament. After that we're heading right, towards the holding cells. Unfortunately, the only way to access those is from the main entrance, but we wouldn't be able to sneak in there anyway, we'd be caught for sure. They use swipe cards to get in. There's a back way though, and only authorised officers can get in or out that way too. There's a swipe card terminal, but there's also a release button on the other side. Pikachu can probably sneak in through the air vents and unlock the door for us, which is easier than what I had planned."

"And what did you have planned?" Misty asked.

"Go through the barracks and find a card key to use. This plan works just as well though, and it'll be faster. Just act like you know everyone, and keep your head down."

The two girls entered the armoury, and sure enough, there was a guard behind a cage, playing some sort of handheld game. He wasn't interested enough in Misty and Amber to even look up.

"Anything fun happen?" he asked.

"Nope, boring as usual," Amber replied, using a slightly different timbre to her normal sing-song voice.

"Yeah, well at least you didn't get the tournament patrol," the armoury guard said. "Now _that's_ boring, so I've heard."

Amber placed two pokéballs through the chute in front of the guard. Misty had no idea where she'd gotten them from.

"Thanks, have a good rest," the guard said, still not looking up.

They continued through to the common area, and sure enough, it was pretty empty. There was a group of about a half dozen male Rockets sitting in a corner to their far left huddled around a table playing some sort of card game, and a male and female Rocket chatting to each other on a sofa nearby. The card game was pretty lively, and the Rockets playing were too absorbed to notice anything else. The two others were getting a little frisky with each other, and were also too preoccupied. Misty glanced over at them, noticing that the female Rocket was wearing an outfit exactly like Amber's, only Amber's outfit seemed older.

_Sexy uniforms,_ Misty thought. _She was right, we certainly do blend in here._

The two girls kept their heads down as they made their way through the door on their right, which housed a small gym, as well as the back door to the holding cells, just like Amber had described.

_Lucky there's no one using the gym at the moment…no way we could have gotten through this door unnoticed otherwise._

Amber pointed at the vent she needed Pikachu to sneak through, which was directly above the door. She picked Pikachu up and explained to him what he needed to do. Pikachu sat and listened patiently.

"Okay, Pikachu," she started. "I'm gonna lift you up to this vent. All you have to do is be super, super quiet, and head left until you find another vent cover. The ventilation system is made of metal – someone will hear you if you're too loud in there. There shouldn't be any guards keeping watch. Only higher ranked Rockets are allowed to guard the prisoners, and they'll all be at the tournament. If there are guards in there, just be super quiet and try not to get noticed. If you do, shock them unconscious and open the door quick, cause we'll have to get out fast. Got that?"

"Pi-_ka-_chu," Pikachu nodded.

Amber lifted him up, and Pikachu quietly disappeared into the vent. Thirty seconds had passed when Misty felt her phone ringing. She'd set it to silent and tucked it into the waistband of her shorts, and felt it vibrating away.

_Not now…of all times…_

She wasn't going to answer it, but it kept ringing so she took it out and checked who it was.

"You aren't seriously going to answer that, are you?" Amber asked in disbelief. "I can't believe you even brought it with you. What were you _thinking_?"

Misty saw that it was Professor Oak, so she ignored Amber and turned around to face the other way as she answered it.

"Professor, now's not a good time. We're in the Rocket United Base and we're–"

"–_You're at the base? Oh dear. Misty, listen to me," _he interrupted_. "I've got Erika with me here at the lab, and she says she's never had anyone named Amber work for her at the Celadon Gym, or as a spy, or in any capacity at all. You have to get out of there right now!"_

Misty's jaw dropped. She turned around to look at Amber, who was quickly getting frustrated by the phone call.

"Are you sure?" she asked, staring into Amber's eyes. Amber's expression began to change from frustration to amusement.

"_Yes! Now get going before–"_

Amber took the phone from Misty and put it to her ear.

"She's kinda busy right now, Professor," she said. Her voice had changed from her usual sweet sing-song to the same voice she's used when addressing the armoury guard, which was far more confident sounding, a little deeper-pitched and with a lot less Celadon properness. She ended the call and threw the phone back to Misty. Misty felt rage rising to the surface, from her chest right up to her head.

"Not too bright, are you _Mist_?" Amber mocked.

"I can't believe I fell for it…all the lies, the facts you messed up…I actually _believed _you."

"This probably won't help," Amber grinned, stepping towards her with a sexiness and confidence that was previously a little more unnatural, then brushed Misty's bangs behind her ears and stroked her neck below her ponytail, "but you were really easy to seduce." She lowered her voice to a whisper and began gently nibbling Misty's earlobe. "I'm doing it again right now. You're so easy to manipulate."

She was right, in a way. As fiery as Misty was, and as angry as she was about Amber's betrayal, she could feel herself letting her guard down as Amber gently breathed on her neck. She stepped around behind her, kissing her neck, her hands slowly sliding down her body from her abs to her hips, her fingertips entering the top of Misty's shorts.

"You were smart to seduce me," Misty whispered back, her voice trembling slightly in pleasure as Amber's fingers slowly slid deeper. "But you've got a big flaw yourself."

"Oh really," Amber giggled softly. "And what would that be?"

"You're overconfident," Misty breathed, turning her head slightly towards her. "Remember when I said you like being teased?"

"Huh?" Amber barked as she stopped moving.

Misty quickly snapped her head back, hitting Amber in the cheek, causing her to stumble backwards a few steps.

"You might have convinced me to leave my Pokémon behind, but I don't need them to win a fight with you."

She strode angrily towards Amber, ready to punch her, but Amber's foot flew out and hit Misty in the guts as she got close, causing her to double over. Amber pushed her over and straddled her on the ground, her hands reaching around Misty's throat. She squeezed it hard, and Misty started coughing and spluttering immediately as her vision began to go black. She could feel herself losing consciousness.

"Without Pikachu and your twerpy friend Ash, you're _nothing_," Amber mocked. "I can't believe Jessie was afraid you'd win the tournament. Once I'm done with you I might just take her out as well. If she's half as easy as you are it'll be a piece of cake."

Misty flung her legs up around Amber's shoulders and pulled her away. She released her grip on Misty's throat as she fell backwards, and Misty coughed violently as she caught her breath, her vision slowly returning. She rolled onto her side and then onto all fours, stumbling away as quick as she could, but she hit a piece of gym equipment before she could get to her feet again. Amber grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her onto her back once more. She stood above Misty and was kneeling down in preparation to straddle her again, but Misty swung her legs up quicker this time and shot them up over her shoulders, snatching Amber's neck. She quickly locked her ankles as she pulled Amber's head closer, right up against her crotch, and squeezed tightly. Amber groaned as her face quickly turned red, her hands grabbing at Misty's thighs, trying desperately to pull them apart, but Misty's legs were far too strong from years of swimming.

She quickly realised that there was no way she was going to pry her legs apart, and instead resorted to dirty fighting, reaching up to try and squeeze Misty's boobs. Misty lifted herself up off the ground and squeezed with all her might, clenching her butt and arching her back. Amber's groans turned into panicked cries as her face turned from red to purple, her hands now softly pawing at Misty's hips as she abandoned her dirty fighting tactic and slipped quickly into unconsciousness. Misty kept squeezing as Amber's hands dropped by her sides, her whole body becoming limp. Tears flowed from her eyes and the veins in her forehead bulged from the intense pressure. She stared into Amber's still-open unconscious eyes, watching her face as the capillaries strained to their limits, but she kept squeezing with focused rage. After about twenty seconds, she heard the door to the holding cells unlock and swing open.

"Misty! She's knocked out already! Quick, bring her in here!"

Misty turned her head and saw Gary standing in the doorway. She unwrapped her legs from around Amber's neck and let her slump to the floor, then got to her feet and dragged her by the armpits through the doorway into the short corridor with the warden's office in it. Gary grabbed her feet and the two of them lifted her up, carrying her through another doorway into the holding cell block.

"Over here, into this cell," he said, gesturing with his head. They dumped her onto the cell's crude bed and shut the door. She woke up a few seconds later, spasming a little and totally confused.

"What the…how did I get in here?" she cried. "Oh please tell me you didn't squeeze me out cold."

Misty just grinned at her. "Ready to get out of here, Gary?"

"You better believe it. Those cells are really uncomfortable," Gary replied with a smile. He turned his attention to Amber then. "Don't worry, the other Rockets will find you when they get back from the tournament."

"Hey, wait a minute! You can't leave me in here!" she yelled. "Misty, come on!"

Misty and Gary turned their backs on her, and Gary opened the door to the warden's office corridor, holding it open for Misty.

"Misty, wait!" Amber continued to yell. "At least give me a jacket! It's fucking cold in here! Bitch! Come back here! Misty, you–"

Her voice was cut off as Gary closed the heavy door. Pikachu dropped down from a vent near the roof, announcing himself as he leapt onto Misty's shoulder.

"Pika! Pi _ka_chu, Pika_chu_," he said with a measure of frustration. Misty interpreted it as something along the lines of "I knew she was bad news".

"We gotta get outta here," she said seriously. "There's a few grunts in the next room, and one guard in the armoury on the way out. You're gonna have to shock them, Pikachu."

Pikachu fired some sparks out of his cheeks in approval as Misty opened the door to the Rocket United common room.

* * *

Ritchie fell to his knees. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"_Oh dear, folks. Looks like Ritchie's in big trouble now. Skadge has all three of his Pokémon left to choose from, and Ritchie's down to just one, although he does still have his prized Charizard, Zippo. It's gonna take everything Ritchie has to take down Skadge's mighty Golem, though."_

_I don't get it,_ he thought to himself, staring out at the battlefield as he returned Cruise, his Tyranitar, to his pokéball. _I even tried Misty's trick with the crater. These Shadow Pokémon are really something else._

He got back to his feet, knowing that a strong flying-type would probably be his last shot at victory, and released Zippo. With a bright red flash, his Charizard appeared, signalling his readiness with a simple snort, and none of the showboating typical of Ash's Charizard.

"Golem, Rollout!" Skadge yelled with utter confidence, an evil grin on his face. "You don't have a chance, kid."

Ritchie was angry, but also intensely worried. He _knew _he was a better trainer than Skadge, but with the best will in the world, Skadge's Pokémon were much more powerful.

_Well maybe Zippo can even up the odds._

"Zippo, into the air! Flamethrower that Golem!"

Zippo immediately launched, blasting Golem with a thick stream of flames as it rolled around the battlefield. It was no good though; Golem's constant rolling around was keeping it cool enough to handle Zippo's blast.

_I have to stop this thing from rolling. If I can get it to stand still, Zippo will be able to overheat it._

"Zippo, Body Slam!"

Zippo flew higher into the air, then arrowed his body as he flew straight down at Golem, becoming an orange missile. At the last second he flattened his body out, slamming into Golem and burying it several feet into the ground.

"Great work! Now Flamethrower again!"

Zippo drew his head back as he prepared an even more intense blast than before, then leant forwards, stamping a foot into the ground as the Flamethrower attack shot out of his mouth. Golem quickly became superheated, glowing red-hot as it clambered out of the crater. As it got to its feet it realised it couldn't take any more, and rolled away at top speed. It had no idea where it was going though, and rolled straight into the side of the arena, knocking itself out.

"Golem is unable to battle!" the League official announced. "Charizard is the winner!"

_I'm still in this, _Ritchie smiled to himself. _One down, two to go._

"Great stuff, Zippo!" he yelled enthusiastically, to which Zippo gave a thumbs up in return.

"_Well there's life in this match yet!"_ the announcer crowed. _"Ritchie's Charizard, Zippo, certainly kept the flame alive for him. Let's see how Skadge responds to the new threat."_

"You'll love this one, squirt," Skadge grinned, his huge bulk jiggling as he threw a pokéball down to the arena.

The familiar red light erupted from the pokéball, and formed into a Blastoise. Ritchie's whole body slumped. He'd fought and defeated water Pokémon before using Zippo, but if this Blastoise was anything like the Golem he'd just fought, this would be very far from easy.

"Okay Zippo, get right up close and use Seismic Toss!"

Ritchie knew if Zippo stayed too far from Blastoise he'd be vulnerable to its giant water cannons. He had to stay close enough to avoid them. However, he forgot that Blastoise can also use its mouth to shoot water, and Zippo copped a face full of it almost straight away. He let go of the Blastoise, which fell to the battlefield floor with a _thud_. Zippo maintained flight, hovering a few dozen feet above.

"Blastoise! Hydro Pump!"

"Zippo! Dodge it! Keep flying around, don't stay still!"

Zippo did its best, but the Blastoise was extremely worked up; its face was scrunched up angrily like it had a vendetta, just like all the other Shadow Pokémon the Rockets were using. It traced Zippo's flight with its water cannons, missing for the most part, but hitting on occasion when Zippo changed direction suddenly, or not suddenly enough. After about thirty seconds Zippo had had enough. He landed on the arena floor, panting and wincing in pain.

_I've gotta do something! Zippo's almost done…_

"Zippo, show us your biggest, baddest Overheat!"

Zippo stopped wincing and showed his remarkable fortitude, stamping his right foot again in defiance of the probable defeat he was facing. He took several steps forward before letting loose an almighty beam of fire, which sent him flying backwards with the effort. It shot out so quickly and so powerfully that Blastoise didn't have time to dodge, and got hit square in the chest.

"Blastoise! More Hydro Pump!" Skadge yelled angrily. "Don't lose to this stupid kid!"

Blastoise did as it was told, looking infuriated at Zippo. Ritchie had never seen a reaction like it.

_Normally there's pain, or acknowledgement of pain, or no reaction at all. This…anger, it's bizarre. Pokémon don't usually get angry when they're attacked in a trainer battle like this._

As Blastoise continued to absorb Zippo's Overheat attack, it let loose another Hydro Pump. The two blasts struck each other mid-stream, causing steam to fill the arena, blinding everyone.

"_Wow, that's a lot of steam!"_ the announcer said excitedly. _"Overheat and Hydro Pump combined make for some incredible special effects! But who's going to come out on top here? We just can't tell!"_

A huge _thud_ came from the arena, to Ritchie's right, and then there was no noise for a few seconds. As the steam lifted, several more thuds were heard, continuing as Ritchie saw that they were coming from Blastoise's foot. It was kicking Zippo against the arena fence, even though Zippo was well and truly finished. Ritchie's eyes widened in horror as he reached for his pokéballs. He fumbled with them, trying to find Zippo's. He quickly found it and returned Zippo as fast as he could, but he feared it might be too late. Blastoise was really laying into him, even though Zippo was totally out cold. He was horrified that a Pokémon would do that to another Pokémon, even without a trainer's order, although that would be just as unusual. But without even being told to do it?

_What kind of monsters have they created?_

"Charizard is unable to battle. Skadge is the winner," the League official announced sombrely, without any of the trademark enthusiasm.

"_I don't know what to say, folks," _the announcer said, unable to hold his composure completely. _"Skadge has won this first-round battle again Ritchie Jackson, with two Pokémon remaining. Ritchie, if you're listening, we're all sorry for what's happened here, and we hope Zippo is okay. If there's a Nurse Joy around, could she please–"_

The announcer was cut off suddenly, and never came back. Ritchie knew what had happened to him, he just didn't want to admit it. He was too worried about Zippo at the moment anyway. Skadge hurled insults and abuse at Ritchie as the podiums lowered, but he didn't hear any of them. He simply walked off quietly down the race towards the public area of the stadium, hoping Misty and Amber were back from their mission at the Rocket Base.

Before he reached the end of the huge concrete corridor he was grabbed and yanked sideways into a room, which he recognised as a press-conference room. A rag was put in front of his mouth, and he quickly and peacefully drifted into sleep.

* * *

"Hey, you can't take him!" one of the Rockets who was playing cards yelled out. "Who gave you orders to do that?

"She's not even one of us," said the female grunt who was with the male before. "If we were allowed to wear cute little shorts like hers, I'd be wearing them too."

"Forget the shorts, you idiot!" another yelled. "Just get 'em!"

"Pikachu, do your thing!" Misty cried.

Pikachu started zapping everyone in sight, allowing Misty and Gary to get to the armoury door. Once every Rocket in the room was down for the count, Pikachu raced into the armoury and shocked the guard there as well, before they escaped back out onto the street via the door Pikachu had busted on their way in. They stopped in the alleyway to check whether anyone was coming, and Misty grabbed one of the t-shirts her and Amber had abandoned before heading out onto the street.

"You've got to act normal, Gary," Misty said under her breath. "If you get spotted we're _dead_."

"I know, I know," Gary replied. "It's cool. Just tell me you have somewhere we can go."

"We have to go back to Amber's place to get my stuff. We can fix you up a bit there, but then we have to move on. I'm sure she'll come back eventually, and we have to be long gone when that happens."

"Amber's that girl you were squeezing the hell out of back there, right?"

Misty suddenly remembered that a lot had happened since Gary, James and Meowth were taken hostage, but she didn't have time to explain it all now.

"I'll tell you all about it once we get to her place," Misty answered impatiently. "Let's just get moving, okay?"

"Right," Gary answered. "Let's go. I didn't wanna piss you off _before_ I knew you could do that to someone."

Misty couldn't help a little grin at Gary as the two of them and Pikachu made their way cautiously back to Amber's place.


	7. Round 2

When they arrived back at Amber's place, Misty finally dropped her tough girl façade and broke down. She collapsed on a sofa and started crying, as Gary stood in the doorway motionless, unsure how to approach the situation. He took a couple of careful paces towards her, assessing in his mind what he should do to help her out. Helping people with emotional stuff wasn't really Gary's forte, and he was pretty wiped out from the last few days spent in the Rocket United lockup.

"Misty, are you okay?" he finally asked, immediately feeling stupid for asking such an obvious question.

"Do I look okay?" she snapped in her typical attitude-filled Misty way.

"Sorry, I know you're not okay, I'm just not good at this sorta thing," he apologised.

Misty sighed. "And I'm not good at telling people how I feel. But right now, you're the best friend I've got," she admitted, then sighed again. "That girl Amber…she and I became friends after you and James were taken at the Pokémon Centre."

"What actually happened after that?" Gary asked her.

She wiped the tears from her face and turned around to face him, but Gary was already making his way to an adjacent couch in front of her.

"Well, after you went in, it took them ten minutes before they forced James and Meowth in afterwards. He told them he wasn't there to sign up for the tournament, and they said they didn't care, that he _had_ to. The guard was really rough, it was kinda scary, even by Rocket United standards. He was awful…he hit me, and groped me, and said he was gonna go to Cerulean when they'd taken the whole world and–"

She paused when she noticed Gary was grinding his teeth and cracking his knuckles.

"Let him try," he said. "I'll kill him if he touches you."

Misty smiled a little; it was nice to hear that someone was so ready to protect her, even if she probably didn't need too much protecting. Misty knew she was a capable young woman – tough, brave, intelligent, confident – she could take care of herself, but that didn't mean she didn't like hearing a nice guy like Gary say he was going to look after her.

"I didn't realise you could be sweet," she said.

"Neither did I," he replied. "I guess some things just change you. Anyway, go on."

"Yeah, I suppose they do…anyway, when none of you came out again, I started asking questions, and then they forced me to sign up for the tournament. When I walked out, Pikachu shocked them all and the crowd helped cover my escape. I found a little park that was off the main strip, and I called Professor Oak. That's when Amber appeared. She said she was a Celadon Spy."

"A Celadon Spy, huh," Gary mused, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I know pretty much all the Celadon Spies, and I've never met anyone named Amber."

"Well it turns out she was a Rocket agent of some sort. She helped me plan a break-in of the base so I could get you, James and Meowth out of there. She even convinced me not to bring any Pokémon with me. If Professor Oak hadn't called to warn me, she probably would have captured me."

"How did Gramps find out?"

"Erika was with him. She said nobody named Amber had ever worked for her before."

More memories came flooding back into Misty's mind as she spoke Amber's name, and she started sobbing again. She was thinking about how comforting Amber had been, and how attracted they'd been to each other. Obviously, the attraction was a ruse to make Misty more susceptible, but that just made the whole thing harder to bear.

"You're crying again," Gary observed. "Something happened with this Amber girl, didn't it. You can tell me, you know. If it makes you feel better. I won't judge you. We're friends, right?"

She started crying a little more, and Gary started kicking himself, thinking he'd set her off.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I understand."

"No, it's okay," she sobbed. "It's just…it's embarrassing, that's all. Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise, Misty. We're friends, I only laugh at you when you're okay with it."

She smiled a bit. She had to admit, Gary's words were definitely helping. She never knew how sweet he could be. She'd always figured that Gary wouldn't be too different to Ash, given that they were friends. They were both fiercely competitive, very talented, and determined to a fault, but Ash had always had the empathy of a lamppost. It was nice to know that Gary was different – it put her more at ease than she felt she had a right to be, given the circumstances. She took a deep breath, preparing to bear her soul.

"She seduced me. I was alone, and you guys had just been captured; I was a wreck. Then along came this sweet girl who understood what was going on, what was at stake, who had her own vulnerability. And she was so nice, so comforting. She made me feel pretty and girly when all I felt like was scarred and beaten and responsible. She _got_ me, you know? It's like she was this perfect person, who came along at the perfect time, and helped me feel better and set my course straight."

"And then she betrayed you," Gary finished for her.

"Yeah…then she betrayed me. All that time, she was just pretending, all just to get me into the Rocket base and capture me. I feel so…stupid. So _easy_. I just trusted her. I started to _like_ her. I can't believe I fell for it…I mean, you guys were all counting on me. The whole _world_ is counting on me, and I let some Rocket United…_gangster_ come along and do whatever she wanted with me."

Gary got up off the couch he was on and sat next to her on the sofa. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a friendly squeeze.

"You're not stupid, Misty," he said in a surprisingly reassuring, dulcet tone. "Nobody could blame you for any of it. And besides, I saw her. She's gorgeous. She could have done that with pretty much anyone. I'd have fallen for that too. Seduction works on all teenagers."

"Yeah but you're a _guy_. I'm a girl. I'm not even interested in other girls. I just don't get how I could be so pathetic."

"There's nothing pathetic about it. If you're a big enough threat to Rocket United that Jessie would send someone after you, it makes sense to send their best person. They need you out of the picture, and to do that they have to send someone who could get the job done. You're the toughest gym leader in Kanto, Misty, maybe even the whole world. No ordinary Rocket grunt is gonna be able to take you. I saw what you did to her in the end, too. This is a full-on undercover agent we're talking about, and you kicked her ass. Seduction was the only way they were gonna get you. They can't beat you in a Pokémon battle, they can't even beat you in a straight fight. What other option did they have?"

The more Gary spoke, the more it all made sense to her. He was _right_. There was no other way they could have done it. Any other attempt would have probably ended badly for them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in, hugging him tightly.

"Thanks Gary," she muttered.

"I'm only telling you how it is," he replied.

They stayed in their embrace for a few moments without saying anything, until Misty broke the silence.

"Gary?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, but you really smell."

They drew away from each other, and after a few moments a smile formed on both their faces. Gary started laughing, which made Misty laugh too. He sniffed down his shirt, and pulled away in disgust.

"Oh man, you're right. I'm gonna go have a shower. Be a doll and burn these clothes for me? No amount of washing's gonna get that stench out."

"Eww! Burning them requires _touching_ them. I'm _so_ not doing that!" Misty squealed. "This is Amber's place anyway, just leave them on the floor, she can deal with them herself."

"Payback – I like it. I'm gonna put them in her cutlery drawer," he smirked, undressing himself in the kitchen. Misty automatically averted her gaze, then decided not to. Gary wasn't bad to look at, after all. Even if he smelt a little funky at the moment.

Misty searched through Amber's closet, trying to find anything that would fit Gary. Being a man, it was exceptionally hard to find him anything useful amongst Amber's clothes. There were plenty of clothes that fit Misty quite well – she made sure she stole those – but nothing that fit Gary. Then she came across a random oversized shirt and pair of shorts that she thought might do the job.

_It'll be a close call, but it's this or nothing_, she told herself.

Gary stepped into the room then, dressed only in a towel.

"Did you find anything? Hey, are you taking all her clothes?"

"I sure am," she smirked. "I _did_ find some things that'll fit you, but it looks like she doesn't have any _guy_ clothes. Here, try these."

"Hmm, it's better than nothing I guess," he remarked, holding the clothes up in front of himself. "We're going out tomorrow to buy me some proper dude clothes, though. I trust you have a match the day after, right? Tell me you won the first round."

"Yeah, I won, but it was close. Starmie and Bulbasaur got knocked around a bit. Which reminds me, we should go visit Nurse Joy later, before the curfew ends."

"Sure thing," Gary replied, trying to put the shorts on without removing the towel. "So the Rocket United grunts they've entered are tough?"

"They're actually pretty dense, as far as trainers go. But those Pokémon are really brutal. They act without orders, and they keep attacking after their opponents are down. I hope Ritchie did okay in his match."

"Ritchie? He's that guy Ash made friends with at our first Pokémon League, right?"

"Oops, I forgot how much stuff has happened while you were locked up," she said while packing the clothes she stole from Amber's closet into a bag she also stole from her. "Yeah, that's the guy. We met him at the stadium when we were waiting to see when our matches were on. His match was on while I was breaking you out. Actually, he should have been back by now."

"Maybe we should go to the stadium and look for him?" Gary suggested.

"No…too risky. All the Rockets will be looking for us. Probably best if we lay a little low until my match. I could try calling him?"

"If he's been abducted then calling him will just give the Rockets a way of tracing you."

"Won't they have my number from your phone anyway?"

Gary stroked his chin. "Yeah, good point. May as well call him then."

Misty brought Ritchie's number up in her phone and called him, but it immediately went to his message bank. She shook her head.

Gary dropped the towel, having finally put the shorts on, then put on the shirt and started buttoning it up. It looked a little ridiculous, but it was either those clothes or Amber's skinny jeans or miniskirts, and there probably wasn't much chance of that, even if he _could_ fit into them.

"Maybe Nurse Joy will have something a little more appropriate," he said hopefully.

Misty started chuckling, then it erupted into full-scale laughter as he did up more buttons. Gary frowned at her, standing with his hands on his hips disapprovingly, which just made her laugh more.

"I'm sorry, Gary. I don't mean to laugh, it's just too good. Mind if I get a photo?"

Gary snatched Misty's phone off her. "No chance, Mist. No one gets to see this except you."

"And Nurse Joy," she added with a grin.

"…and Nurse Joy."

"And all the Rockets between here and the main strip, and anyone working in the shop we're going to."

Gary sighed. "This sucks, but that reminds me," he said, trying to be serious. "I'm not sure we really have to be that careful around the Rockets."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, people know who you are," he explained. "You're sorta famous these days. Jessie can't touch you, or people will notice. Me, they can _definitely _touch. Not many people will know who I am. That must be why they didn't capture you. Maybe it's why Amber came along, too."

Misty thought about it. It made sense, in a way. But it left another gaping chasm of a question.

"Why would she want me captured in the Rocket base if she knows she can't do anything to me though? Why send a spy?"

"Maybe she entered you in the tournament hoping you'd lose, as some sort of revenge thing?" Gary shrugged. "She could have sent Amber to help manipulate you along the way. You know, to make you lose your matches, or put you or your Pokémon into compromising positions, that sorta thing. Maybe she didn't want you captured at all."

"But that still doesn't explain why Amber helped me break into the base, or why you were held there."

Gary shrugged again. "Trust? They didn't seem too smart to me. Not the ones inside the base, anyway."

"They're not all like that, you know. They were smart enough to capture you in the first place. I don't think we can take too many risks like that. In public is okay, because there are crowds around that can see us. I think sneaking around is dangerous though. I don't think you should go back there, if that's what you're thinking."

"We need to find out what's going on, though," Gary said firmly. "There might be more things we can find out if we go back in. There must be some clue _somewhere_ that can at least give us a hint as to what their plans are."

As if on cue, Misty's phone rang. It was James.

"You're not gonna believe who it is," she squealed. "I'll put it on speaker."

"_Misty, I can only talk for a few moments, so listen carefully," _James said softly, almost whispering. _"Meowth and I managed to convince the Rocket United administrators that we were luring you to Indigo Plateau. We're undercover now, and we've found out some things. Jessie's got something big planned. Remember when she said in that broadcast about the Jessie League that she was going to kill people until Rocket United is officially put in charge of the world's governments? Well the evolution machine wasn't the only thing she stole from Silph. She also stole three huge prototype cages that act kind of like room-sized pokéballs. I can't find out what she's got planned for them, but it can't be good. These cages, they can capture any Pokémon within a hundred miles, or so the other Rockets are saying."_

"That's pretty serious stuff," Misty replied, frowning with concentration.

"_Yes, I'll try to find out more. I can't call too often or they'll be on to us. By the way, Jessie was so upset when you won your match that she threatened to put the next person who loses to you in a coma. And be careful, she knows about you breaking Gary out of the Indigo base, and she's not happy. As soon as you lose at the tournament she'll hunt you both down. Someone's coming, gotta go. Don't call me, I'll call you."_

He hung up almost before he'd finished speaking, leaving Misty and Gary looking at each other with raised eyebrows.

"There's so many questions we need answers to," Misty admitted with a pout.

"Well, we're not getting any while we sit here," Gary stated, moving towards the door. "Let's get out of here and get your Pokémon healed. We can probably hide out at the Pokémon Centre with Nurse Joy until tomorrow. Maybe she can help figure out what Jessie's got planned too."

"And we really should call Professor Oak as well. He should know about all this."

"Great," Gary said enthusiastically. "Sounds solid to me. We should do some training tomorrow too. And don't forget we need to get me some clothes," Gary said. "I can't stress the clothes thing enough."

"There's a few pairs of skinny jeans and some miniskirts in here if you wanna try something else," Misty teased, a cheeky grin on her face.

Gary frowned. "Let's just go," he muttered. "Oh and I wouldn't mind having my Pokémon back. It's almost curfew time, I'll need them."

"Right, I almost forgot about that," she replied, digging through her backpack and taking them out one by one. "Good job keeping them hidden, by the way."

Gary smirked. "I had a feeling before I left Gramps' place. I knew it'd be a good idea."

"Speaking of good ideas, let's get going before we have to fight our way to the Pokémon Centre."

* * *

After spending the next day training with Gary, Misty was pumped for her match. It was five-fifty-eight: two minutes until her match started, and the crowd had been at capacity for the whole day, knowing Misty's match was coming up, but unlike herself, not knowing when. Only competitors were allowed to see the draw for the tournament. She'd gone with Gary to the stadium yesterday to see when her match was on and was disappointed to see that only three civilians had won their matches against Rocket United in the first round, and Ritchie wasn't one of them. She still hadn't heard from him, and she'd finally admitted to herself that he'd probably been captured. She made a promise to herself that she'd do whatever it took to get him back again.

After her conversation with Gary the other day, and with James on the phone and Nurse Joy as well, Misty had a newfound aloofness around Rocket United at the tournament, boldly walking straight past all the Rocket grunts on the way to the stadium. She strode past all the patrollers and guards confidently, wearing a silky white top she'd picked out from Amber's closet, paired with her favourite blue denim short shorts and Amber's black boots. She knew she looked hot, and she wanted to rub it in the Rockets' faces – she even had her hair tied up in a side ponytail. If nothing else, her time spent with Amber had given her even more confidence in her appearance and sexuality than before.

She was waiting in the race leading to the arena, with Gary at her side and Pikachu perched on her shoulder. A Rocket United guard approached them from behind.

"Listen, bitch," he spat. "You might be able to get away with breaking in to our base, but _we_ make the rules here. This is Rocket United's tournament, and only competitors are allowed out there. Your fugitive friend here has to wait outside."

"And be captured by you clowns again? No thanks," Gary replied coolly.

"Clowns? Oh that's it, punk. You're mine now, I'm gonna–"

"–touch either of us and this whole arena is gonna know you did something, and they're _not_ gonna like it," Misty threatened, standing in the guard's face. "I could kick your ass right here, right now if I wanted to, and none of you can do a damn thing about it. I'm Misty Waterflower, and if I say he comes with me, then _he comes with me_, got it? So why don't you just fuck off back to your little guard post back there and enjoy the match, huh pal?"

The guard grumbled angrily, but he couldn't fault her words. She was right.

"Little slut," he muttered. "You're gonna pay for this, mark my words. I'll make your life a living hell–"

Gary stepped forward and grabbed the guard by the scruff of the neck, punching him in the chin for good measure.

"You heard what she said, clown," he smirked. "Fuck off. Now."

The guard looked ready to explode, but begrudgingly did what he was told.

"Whoa, go Misty," Gary said quietly. "That was awesome."

"Thanks, but I think we probably should be careful. The guards at the base were idiots, I don't think Rocket United got to where it is by being as dumb as Team Rocket used to be."

"Misty, I could be Bruno and I wouldn't wanna mess with you right now."

She had to smile; it _did _feel pretty good to stand up to the Rocket United guard, and having Gary say it back was equally as rewarding. It felt great just to have him with her.

_I wish Ash was here though_, she sighed to herself. _He's a moron, but we were best friends, and I really miss him. I really hope he's okay out there._

The announcer began his duties, introducing the Rocket United trainer first for a change. Misty assumed it was a deliberate ploy to annoy them, as she'd been announced first in her last match. She also noted that the announcer was different this time.

_Must have said something the Rockets didn't like. I hope he's okay…but my gut tells me he's probably not._

"_And now, a girl most trainers who've been through Kanto have probably lost a battle to,"_ the announcer began, making Gary grin and Misty blush. _"She's the only trainer from the last round to have a Pokémon at full health at the end of the match. It's the stunningly beautiful, the fiery, sexy redhead from the Blue City, the one, the only, Misty Waterflower!"_

The crowd roared with what seemed like its full hundred-and-fifty-thousand strength, even though she knew a third of its contingent was made up of Rocket United grunts. The noise was deafening, and Misty was relishing every moment of it. She allowed the atmosphere to permeate her entire being, pumping her up and giving her an understanding of why Ash kept competing in tournaments.

"Now _that's_ an introduction, hey Mist?" Gary grinned. "Let's show those Rocket bastards what you're _really_ made of."

The two of them strode out onto the arena, Misty trying out a model-esque strut that she thought might make her look even more invincible in the eyes of the hopeful, going with the whole 'sexy' thing the announcer had said. The crowd couldn't get enough of her; they roared with an intensity that Misty had never experienced before. She started owning her model-strutting, waving flirtatiously at the crowd and even blowing kisses, feeling the adoration flowing in waves back at her.

"_It looks like Misty has herself a coach, this time," _the announcer stated. _"Not like she needs it, but the coach looks to be none other than Gary Oak from Pallet Town, who has made it all the way through to the top sixteen entrants here at Indigo Plateau a number of times. This is quite a formidable team, folks. Two of the best focused in on the might of Rocket United, all assembled here for your enjoyment. This is gonna be a hell of a show! The atmosphere here at Indigo Stadium is electric! I've never seen the crowd so pumped!"_

Gary and Misty took their places on the rising platforms, waiting as they rose up to full height. Misty's opponent was a sinister looking skinny guy, complete with dyed black hair and a lame looking cape. Misty thought he looked ridiculous, but she also knew better than to dismiss someone in a silly outfit as being a bad trainer.

_Anyone who wears something that stupid must be loaded with arrogance,_ she reminded herself. _He must be good._

"_Okay folks,"_ the announcer continued. _"This is Match Two of Round Two of the Jessie League. Three civilians are still left in the competition, after match one was won by Anders Stevensson of Lavaridge Town. It's Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City versus Desterji representing Rocket United. The trainers are ready, the crowd is pumped; this match is gonna be one to remember. Let's see if Desterji has what it takes to compete with a trainer of Misty's calibre."_

"This is a three versus three Pokémon Battle, for the second match of Round Two of the Jessie League Tournament. Blue trainer, choose your Pokémon!" the Pokémon League official instructed.

Misty grinned lopsidedly. She'd never felt so confident going into a match before. She could hear Gary saying words of encouragement behind her as she touched each Pokéball in her arsenal.

"I choose you, Squirtle!"

Squirtle's pokéball opened, releasing the familiar red light that resolved into the little turtle Pokémon down below on the battlefield. He announced himself to the crowd, standing proud, complete with sunglasses.

Desterji showed no emotion at all as he grabbed a pokéball from his belt.

"Red trainer, choose your Pokémon!"

Desterji held the pokéball out in front of him, pressing the activation button without any flashiness whatsoever. He didn't even say anything as the red light flashed down to the battlefield, revealing a Crobat.

"Are both trainers ready?" the League Official asked, though neither trainer responded. Desterji remained motionless and silent, while Misty stood at the ready, her lopsided grin still etched onto her face.

"Let match two begin!"

Misty quickly sprung into action.

"Squirtle, Water Gun!"

Squirtle shot out a lightning-quick blast of water at Crobat, who appeared to vanish and reappear a few inches to the left or right every time Squirtle shot at it.

"It's fast!" Gary commented. "Ranged attacks aren't gonna work!"

"Crobat, Confuse Ray," Desterji said calmly.

Crobat fanned out its wings, emitting a Confuse Ray that had the front few rows of the crowd wondering what was going on. Squirtle instinctively retreated into his shell, avoiding the attack.

"Crobat, Venoshock."

Crobat dived down with incredible speed, latching onto Squirtle's shell and blasting the Venoshock attack right inside at point blank range. Squirtle was sent rolling backwards with the force of the attack, only popping his head out when he'd stopped. He looked dazed, and in a lot of pain.

"That Crobat is too strong and too fast, Misty!" Gary told her. "Squirtle can't compete with a flying type like that one. You have to switch out!"

_But who do I switch with? Bulbasaur will have a type disadvantage, as well as being too slow. Pikachu might be able to keep up with it, but he might not have the endurance to take multiple attacks. Charizard's powerful enough to take a few hits, but a target that small and fast will probably outmanoeuvre him._

Then it clicked.

_Use Crobat's speed and flying-type advantage against it._

Misty smirked again, not at all worried about the mild beating Squirtle had taken.

"Squirtle, return!"

Squirtle quickly picked up his sunglasses before he was returned to his pokéball. Misty already had another pokéball ready, and activated it without hesitation.

"Go, Muk!"

Muk's huge, bulbous form appeared on the battlefield, but Desterji still didn't react.

"_This is interesting," _the announcer said. _"Looks like Squirtle was a mismatch, unable to keep up with the intense speed of Crobat. Misty's next Pokémon is Muk. It's an unusual choice, but let's see how it goes."_

"Crobat, Air Cutter."

Crobat dived down again, wings at the ready to strike Muk, but Muk just stood there unmoving. The attack sliced into Muk's body, but Muk just healed it over as if nothing had happened.

_That's the way, Crobat can't hurt you at all._

"Crobat, Confuse Ray."

"Muk! Sludge Bomb, then dodge!" Misty yelled quickly.

Muk hurled several huge blobs of poisonous gunk with unerring accuracy while Crobat was stuck using its Confuse Ray attack. It was unable to move while attacking, and was slammed with three Sludge Bombs, knocking it out of the sky. Muk then slid across the battlefield, avoiding the Confuse Ray.

"Alright, Muk!" Misty yelled excitedly. "Let's try out that Thunderbolt attack!"

Muk's whole body began sparking as it drew energy for the attack. Crobat was stuck to the ground, the sludge covering it making it extremely difficult to get up and fly away. Misty knew it wouldn't get up in time. The crowd gasped in awe as Muk arched its blobby body, the sparks surrounding it converging into a lightning bolt that struck Crobat as it lay defenceless on the ground. After the attack subsided, Crobat was finished. Muk's Thunderbolt wasn't very strong, but it was effective against a flying-type, and enough to end its day.

_I have to thank Gary for that idea some time. I'm so glad Pikachu and I had no trouble teaching Muk that attack._

"Crobat is unable to battle!" the League Official announced. "Muk is the winner!"

The crowd roared, and Misty felt the adrenaline surging within her. She turned around to Gary, who grinned and nodded at her.

"Great stuff, Misty," he said. "Let's see what he does next."

"_And Desterji's Crobat is down for the count! Misty's mighty Muk wiped it out almost effortlessly, but this is Round Two, and not everything will be so easy. Desterji doesn't look like the type to go down without a fight."_

Desterji returned Crobat to its pokéball, then without even a hint of anger or frustration released another Pokémon. The red light flashed, and out came a Golem.

"Aw, not another one," Gary whined. "I'm sick of these things."

"You're telling me," Misty replied, covering the microphone. "I had to fight one of these in the last round."

"_Well, it's another Golem. Rocket United sure are fond of these boulder Pokémon. Misty faced one of these in the last round, let's see if she can do it again."_

"Muk, return!" Misty yelled, recalling it to its ball while simultaneously sending Squirtle back out.

"Golem, Earthquake."

Golem leapt into the air, landing heavily and stomping its feet. The whole stadium shook, and Squirtle lost his footing, falling into a crevice formed by the attack. He grabbed onto the edge of the fissure, holding on for dear life. The crowd gasped again, which slightly annoyed Misty.

_Makes me nervous every time they do that._

"Squirtle, Water Gun yourself out of there!"

Squirtle fired straight down, hitting the side of the chasm and sending himself hurtling into the air. He landed back on his feet, repositioned his sunglasses and folded his arms, as cool as ever.

"Golem, Rollout."

Golem tucked its limbs in and sent itself rolling straight at Squirtle. It picked up speed very quickly, giving Misty only moments to decide what to do.

"Squirtle, into the air again!" she ordered, and Squirtle obeyed, sending himself flying into the air about fifty feet; such was the force of his Water Gun attack.

This Golem was different to that last one though. It was smarter, and waited for Desterji to direct it, rather than rolling aimlessly around the battlefield. As Squirtle landed, Desterji commanded it to change directions sharply, aiming straight at Squirtle and rolling straight over him. Squirtle withdrew into his shell just in time, but the force of several tonnes of Golem was too much, even for Squirtle's tough shell. Misty and Gary's eyes widened in horror.

"No! Squirtle!" she cried out, holding a hand up to her mouth.

The crowd went silent as Squirtle lay motionless on the arena floor. He lay there for a few moments before the Official started announcing his defeat.

"Squirtle is unable to –"

Squirtle's shell began to glow before the Official could finish. Desterji finally showed some emotion, his mouth curling up at one corner in a sign of irritation. Squirtle's shell glowed brighter and brighter, seemingly growing larger until his arms, legs and head poked back out. He stopped glowing after a few more moments as he walked over to his sunglasses, which had been knocked off his face when he was struck. He picked them up and then put them back on.

"Wartortle," he growled determinedly.

Misty squealed with delight, jumping up and down and clapping her hands in a display of girliness she rarely exhibited.

"I was wondering when that would happen," Gary admitted. "Damn Squirtle was almost as strong as my Blastoise."

"Now they're gonna see what a _real_ water Pokémon can do," Misty grinned.

"_Wow! Misty's Squirtle has evolved into a Wartortle, right in front of our eyes!" _the announcer crowed. _"You don't get to see that very often, especially in League matches! This should make the battle even more interesting!"_

"Golem, Rollout," Desterji ordered, back to his usual emotionless self.

"Wartortle, Bubblebeam! Aim at the ground in front of it!"

Wartortle blasted a powerful stream of bubbles exactly where Misty had ordered – his time spent in the Squirtle Squad had left a lasting impression on him, and even after all these years his accuracy was as good as ever. Now as a Wartortle, the power of his attacks was awe-inspiring. The Bubblebeam attack struck Golem as it rolled into it, sending it flying into the air. Golem's limbs flailed as it realised it had lost all control of its movement, and moments later it crashed into the battlefield with an enormous thud that shook the stadium almost as much as its Earthquake attack had. A dust cloud rose where it landed, and Wartortle calmly, even arrogantly strode back towards Misty's podium.

_Wartortle's eyesight is good. He must know Golem's done._

"Golem is unable to battle," the League Official announced as the dust began to clear. "Squirtle – uh, Wartortle – is the winner!"

"Wartortle," Wartortle grinned, arms crossed and sunglasses on. His personality apparently hadn't changed very much after his evolution.

"That's pretty impressive stuff, Misty. I had no idea you were this good," Gary gushed. "I'm kinda glad I faced your sisters for that Cascade Badge all those years ago. It's kinda making me itch for a battle myself. I wish they'd let me sign up."

"_Misty's putting on a clinic here! It's two down, one to go for the Cerulean Stunner, and she still has all three of her Pokémon left!" _the announcer said excitedly.

Desterji was starting to look annoyed. His face was slightly scrunched up and his hands were balled into fists. The big screen showed a close-up of him, making Misty giggle. She stood cross-legged, leaning on the podium's front barrier. She decided to leave Wartortle out, not seeing any point recalling him at this stage.

Desterji's face suddenly changed, turning from an angry frown into an angry grin. He released his last Pokémon, which seemed a little taller than his Golem. The pokéball's red light resolved into a winged Pokémon, and Misty's spirits sunk a little as she realised it was a Dragonite.

_Oh no, that means they've captured a whole bunch of Dratini somewhere. Is there anything they haven't stolen?_

"Oh man, Dragonites aren't easy to beat when they're _not_ angry. This one looks furious!" Gary cried. "Maybe you better switch to Starmie, Misty! Wartortle might not be fast enough!"

Her spirits had sunk a little, but she was far from defeated yet. "No way. Wartortle's got what it takes."

Wartortle confirmed her faith in him, confidently stepping up to Dragonite and staring him down. Dragonite breathed a puff of smoke from its flared nostrils, its teeth bared angrily as it growled down at Wartortle. Suddenly the sky turned dark as black clouds rolled in from the ocean. Lightning scattered across the sky, but no rain fell. Misty and Gary craned their necks as they heard an almighty _squawk _far above. A lightning bolt flashed across the sky, lighting up the clouds and revealing the silhouette of an enormous bird Pokémon above the clouds as it flew at incredible speed. The whole stadium was focussed on the sky now, all except for Wartortle and Dragonite, who remained at the centre of the battlefield, staring each other down.

The light show continued as the announcer got on with the show.

"_That's some heavenly display up there. This weather change definitely wasn't on the radar; we have no idea where it's come from. Our two Pokémon look completely unfazed by it all though, and remain waiting patiently for their commands."_

Dragonite _didn't_ wait for its command though. It was a shadow Pokémon, and it did whatever it wanted, whenever it liked. It reared its head back and launched an enormous Fire Blast attack at Wartortle, who was standing only feet away. Instinctively, Wartortle leapt backwards and fired a Water Gun, dousing the Fire Blast neatly and propelling him backwards where he landed on his feet and slid several paces backwards before coming to a halt.

"Dragonite, Thunder attack," Desterji commanded, with slightly more vigour than his previous efforts.

"Uh-oh," Misty squeaked. "Wartortle, Dig attack! Get outta there!"

Wartortle dug himself underground, waiting out the powerful Thunder attack at it struck from the sky moments later, right where Wartortle had been standing.

"Dragonite, Earthquake attack."

"Oh man, Wartortle, get outta there, buddy!" Gary yelled, forgetting for a moment that it wasn't his battle.

"Wartortle, Water Gun yourself out! Quick!" Misty squealed as loudly as she could, trying her best to make sure Wartortle would hear her over the raging thunderstorm.

He did hear her, and came blasting out of the hole tail-first at enormous speed, sending himself flying into the air about fifty feet. Desterji's face twisted into one of shock and frustration, and he bashed both hands down on the front barrier of his podium. Dragonite stomped the ground with both feet after flying a few feet into the air, but it was far too late.

"Wartortle, Blizzard attack!" Misty cried out, punching a fist into the air.

Wartortle's limbs and head arched backwards as he reached the apex of his flight, then all flew forwards again as he blasted out thousands of icy crystals from his mouth during his descent. Dragonite shielded itself with both arms and its tail as it was struck repeatedly by Wartortle's devastating attack. Dragonite looked terrible, but the anger it had was still there, and it didn't look beaten just yet.

"Dragonite, Fly attack!" Desterji yelled angrily, his face showing obvious signs of frustration now, and from what Misty could tell, fear too.

"Go, Wartortle!" she cried out confidently. "Ice Beam that Dragonite!"

Wartortle sucked down a huge breath before letting loose a powerful Ice Beam with the same dangerous accuracy that he was capable of with Water Gun. He traced the battered Dragonite as it flew straight up, the Ice Beam quickly overtaking it and then slowing just ahead of its flight trajectory. Dragonite flew straight into the beam about four hundred feet off the ground and was immediately frozen solid. It started to fall, gaining speed until it crashed down onto the battlefield, the ice block it was imprisoned in smashing into millions of pieces.

The crowd roared as the thunderstorm continued overhead. Misty and Gary were stone-faced though; something was wrong with this Dragonite. They knew this wasn't over.

"_And Wartortle delivers a massive barrage of Ice attacks, crippling Dragonite. It lays on the battlefield below all but defeated. It looks like Misty's got this one in the bag!"_

"Not yet, you don't," Gary stated firmly. "I don't know how, but that Dragonite's about to get back up."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Misty agreed, her voice soft. "Wartortle was brilliant; I've never seen _any_ Pokémon take such powerful attacks and get back up again. And _Ice_ attacks on a _Dragon_ Pokémon too. It should be history."

"Any other Dragonite _would_ be," Gary confirmed. "Wartortle is _really_ powerful. I don't know if my Blastoise could have done that. These shadow Pokémon are really something else."

Right on cue, Dragonite painfully got back to its feet. Its wings were bent out of shape, but it just stretched them back out to full wingspan, making painful-sounding cracking noises as it did so, and stomped the ground angrily, making the ground shake slightly. More smoke billowed out its nose as it and Wartortle stared each other down again.

"Wartortle, tortle," Wartortle said to it, which seemed to make it even angrier. Wartortle just grinned, his sunglasses still on – he didn't even seem the slightest bit out of breath.

"Chu…pika pi_ka_chu, pika_chu_," Pikachu said to Misty, his cheeks beginning to spark as the thunderstorm's intensity increased a notch. He jumped down off Misty's shoulder before he accidentally electrocuted her.

"What did he say?" Gary asked, and Pikachu repeated himself to him.

"That's nice of you, buddy, but I can't understand Pikachu-dialect. I'm sorry," Gary smiled down at him.

"I think he said something like, 'Dragonite might die if he keeps going'," Misty translated, without turning around to face either of them. She was watching Dragonite too intently. "Do you think Wartortle will keep going, even though he knows he's gonna hurt it?"

"Pi pi_ka_chu, pika_chu_," Pikachu answered.

"What did he say that time?" Gary asked, to which Pikachu just shook his head in mocking disappointment at Gary.

"He said, 'that's what Wartortle just told him'."

"_I don't believe it," _the announcer said in shock. _"Dragonite looks totally defeated. It can barely stand up straight, and yet it wants to keep fighting. A responsible trainer would throw in the towel at this point."_

Desterji stood leaning against the front barrier of his podium, his knuckles white. His face was contorted into a disturbing combination of rage and fear, but he didn't recall Dragonite.

Misty turned around to Gary sharply, her long side-ponytail flicking her in the face.

"Gary, remember how James said that Jessie would put the next Rocket grunt who loses to me in a coma?"

"Oh yeah!" Gary replied. "There's no way he'll quit this battle! You have to do something before Dragonite gets itself killed!"

Misty turned back around to face the battlefield, and called out to the League Official through her podium mic.

"Hey, Official guy!" she yelled over the thunderstorm. "You have to call this match! Dragonite won't quit as long as it can stand, and that creepy Desterji guy won't recall it until it won't move on its own! Tell him Dragonite's unable to battle, before it gets itself _killed_!" she pleaded.

The Official just shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Misty. There's nothing I can do. I've never seen a trainer who won't call his Pokémon back by this point in the match. The rules say it's up to the trainer's discretion. I can only call it if the Pokémon gives up on its own."

Misty thumped her hands down onto the podium barrier.

"Fine, then I'll just have to do it on my own, and hope for the best," she resigned wearily.

Dragonite limped towards Wartortle, its left leg looking badly broken, and its wings too mangled to fly. Each step made it wince in pain, which in turn seemed to make it even angrier. Wartortle shook his head, unable to comprehend why Dragonite was so angry.

"We gotta end this one ourselves, Wartortle!" Misty shouted. "Give it a knockout blow with your best Hydro Pump! Don't hit it in the legs or wings!"

Wartortle nodded his understanding up at Misty, who crossed her fingers that Wartortle wouldn't do any more serious harm to Dragonite. Wartortle leapt high into the air, retracted his head and limbs and launched an intensely powerful Hydro Pump attack from all corners of his shell. The blasts struck Dragonite in the head and torso at very close range, sending it flying backwards, skidding along the ground into the arena wall. This time it was definitely out cold.

The Official ran over to inspect Dragonite, and quickly confirmed that there was a pulse, but it was unconscious.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!" he yelled with a hint of relief in his voice. "Wartortle and Misty are the winners!"

"_Well I thought that might have ended badly for a moment there, but it looks like Misty and her incredible Wartortle got the job done without any disasters," _the announcer said. _"Misty's done it again! Round Two of the Jessie League Tournament goes to the lovely Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City!"_

Misty breathed a sigh of relief as Desterji recalled Dragonite to its pokéball. He slumped to his knees as the podiums lowered, his face turning a ghostly shade of white.

"That was an incredible battle, Misty," Gary congratulated her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "After all this is done, maybe you should become an Elite Four member."

"I'll think about it after Rocket United's been shut down for good," Misty replied. "Right now I just wanna focus on our next move."

They craned their necks again as another ear-piercing _squawk _filled the sky between claps of thunder. The huge bird Pokémon silhouette appeared again, against the foreground of lightning-lit clouds. Suddenly it appeared to dissolve, then completely disappeared from view, taking the lightning storm with it. The dark clouds remained, and the thunder claps were replaced by huge drops of rain. People vacated the stadium quickly, trying to escape before they were drenched. Desterji, Misty and Gary were the only ones left in the arena after a minute or so.

Desterji quickly stomped his way over to Misty, coming right up to her and snarling in her face. He shoved her, knocking her down, then knelt down and wrapped a surprisingly large hand around her jaw, covering her mouth. Misty grabbed at him, but he was incredibly strong, much stronger than he appeared, and she couldn't really do anything.

"Hey!" Gary yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders. He tried to tear him off of her, but Desterji just swung a fist around and collected Gary in the face, making him stumble backwards. Pikachu's cheeks sparked as he prepared to attack him.

"No, Pikachu!" Gary yelled. "You'll fry us all!"

Pikachu backed down, watching on helplessly. Desterji snarled down at Misty again, lifting her off the ground by her jaw. She screamed as best as she could, but her cries were muffled as Desterji's brutal grip crushed her face.

"Do you know what you've done to me?" he shouted in rage. "Do you have any idea what Jessie will do to me now?"

Tears ran down Misty's face as Desterji's grip intensified. Gary kicked him in the back, making him stumble forwards, but he just growled angrily and swiped at him again, this time knocking him down, all while still holding Misty off the ground by her jaw.

"I was Rocket United's best battler. I was the last hope we had of doing this without incident. But _you _had to mess it all up! Now the world will burn and flood, and it's _all your fault!_"

He raised her further off the ground, and her legs kicked feebly as she struggled to get free. She swore she could feel her jaw beginning to bend under the pressure, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"But if I have to die tonight, I'm taking you down with me!" Desterji growled. "All our preparations. All our plans, ruined because that idiot woman couldn't control her lust for revenge. We could have ruled the world, and now it'll all be _lost_ because _you won a stinking Pokémon battle!_"

Gary grabbed Scizor's pokéball and quickly threw it, the red light reflected in their soaking faces against the now-dark backdrop of Indigo Stadium. Scizor didn't need instruction. He saw Misty was in trouble and quickly – _very _quickly – flew past Desterji's back, slashing him as he flew. Desterji dropped Misty instantly and screamed in pain, clutching at his shredded back and falling to his knees. Gary darted over to him and uppercutted him in the jaw, launching him about a foot off the ground and knocking him onto his back. He screamed again as the soaking ground aggravated the wound.

"Get back," Misty ordered, grabbing Gary and Scizor and violently pulling them away. "Go, Pikachu."

Pikachu's face contorted into a sinister grin as he prepared a Thundershock attack. Desterji's eyes widened in horror as he realised what was about to happen. In all but a split second the stadium lit up with the intense white flash of Pikachu's weakest attack, which struck Desterji in the chest as he sat up helplessly watching, and sent him sliding across the muddy battlefield, coming to a halt about fifty feet away. Pikachu folded his furry little arms, frowning in disgust at Desterji's limp, unconscious body, admiring his own work.

"That was intense," Gary shouted over the heavy rain, returning Scizor to his pokéball. "Let's get out of here."

"Wait," Misty said, gesturing with her hand. She walked cautiously over to Desterji, stopping about ten feet away from him, and waited for him to get back up. Gary's jaw dropped when Desterji awoke only seconds later.

"When you see Jessie, tell her I said she's a bitter, ugly old hag, and she'll lose to me just like she did all the hundreds of times she has before," Misty shouted at him, then turned her back on him and walked off just before Pikachu shocked him unconscious again, this time with a slightly more powerful attack. Misty and Gary walked off towards the battlefield exit race, assessing their injuries, with Pikachu in tow, confident Desterji wouldn't bother them anymore.

"I can't believe how much stronger that Desterji guy was than he looked," Gary commented.

"You're telling me!" Misty agreed, adjusting her jaw. "And he just got all crazy out of nowhere. The whole match he was the strong, silent type."

"Yeah, then he was the strong, crazy type. That must have hurt when he lifted you off the ground like that."

"My jaw feels like it was in a vice," she complained. "By the way, it was sweet of you to help me like that, and thank Scizor for me too, but you really didn't have to. I could have kicked his ass by myself, you know."

"I know," Gary smiled. "But between you being the great hope of the whole world in this tournament, and your sorta scary proficiency with violence, I feel like I had to do _something_ useful."

"You think I'm scary?" Misty asked, stopping in her tracks, a concerned look on her face.

Gary stopped too. He paused for a moment, searching for the correct words.

"Just your violent tendencies," he laughed, trying to diffuse the comment a little. "I mean, Ash still has a nervous twitch when he says anything even remotely insulting to a girl. He actually ducked once when he was talking to my sister."

"I hit Ash a _lot_," she smirked. "But he fried my bike, and he was just so immature and stupid at times. I'm not like that with everyone."

"Misty," Gary smiled, taking her hands and gently squeezing them. "How long have we known each other now?"

"Seven years, give or take," she answered, looking down from his gaze momentarily.

"I know you have layers," he said, trying to make his words and his expression as comforting as possible. "I can see past the fighty, don't-mess-with-me exterior. I know deep down, you're actually really sweet and sensitive, and caring."

Misty looked up at him in surprise.

"Ash once told me that of all the people he's met in his time as a Pokémon trainer, the one person who he thought cared about him the most was you. You know he even told me he cried for days after you had to leave?"

"Ash cried because of…me?" Misty asked in disbelief.

Gary nodded. "He said if it hadn't been for Pikachu convincing him, he would've given up training for a while to go help you at the gym until your sisters came back, so you could travel with him some more."

Misty was shocked. She barely knew how to comprehend this new information.

"But he seemed kind of…indifferent about me leaving," she recalled. "I knew he cared, but I thought he'd miss Brock more than me."

"Nope," Gary smiled. "If you ask me, I think _he_ didn't even know how he felt about you. I think he still doesn't know. And you know what? Now that we're spending time together, I can see why he likes you so much, even though you'd never get him to admit it."

"You can?" she asked, totally overwhelmed, her eyes filling with tears which became undetectable in the savage, weighty rain.

"Absolutely," he smiled down at her. "You're a special girl, Misty. You really are one of a kind."

She let herself cry then, hugging Gary tightly. The pouring rain couldn't even disguise her tears now as it continued to heave down on them both.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me," she said softly into his ear. "Thankyou, Gary."

He responded by hugging her a little tighter, and she in turn squeezed a tiny bit tighter too. Eventually though they both had to admit that the rain was becoming pretty unreasonable, and they had to leave. They slowly drew back from their embrace, their hands sliding into each other's again.

"Come on," Gary smiled down at her. "Let's get to the Pokémon Centre before you freeze to death in those tiny little shorts."

As they walked off the muddy, soaking battlefield, several Rocket guards blocked their way. They had their hands on their pokéballs, ready to release them at a moment's notice. Gary released his Blastoise in answer.

"You might wanna let us pass, Rocket scum," he yelled, "or they'll be fishing you out of the sewers for weeks."

Blastoise aimed his water cannons at the Rocket guards, who gradually and slowly stepped aside. Pikachu, Gary and Misty passed through with Blastoise in tow, but Misty had one more question. She shoved one of the guards against the wall and motioned for Pikachu to step up in front of her.

"Tell me," she snarled. "Has Ritchie Jackson been captured?"

"What's it to you, Red?" he answered back.

She took a few steps back, then glanced down at Pikachu, who shocked the Rocket guard.

"Okay, okay!" he shouted, dropping to his knees. "He was taken, right after his match. Jessie thought he'd be a threat if he stayed with you."

"Where's he been taken?" she demanded.

"I can't tell you that!" he shouted in her face.

"Listen," she said through clenched teeth. "I've had about enough of you thugs pushing your weight around, terrorising me and everyone else just because you can. I've beaten your best battlers in Pokémon battles, and I've beaten them _out_ of Pokémon battles. So you've got two choices."

Gary shoved the guard into the wall again, pushing his forearm into his throat. The two other guards were about to act, but Blastoise's water cannons dissuaded them.

"You can tell me where Ritchie is, or Pikachu can Thundershock you until you tell me. Either way, you're _going_ to tell me."

"I can't tell you because I don't know!" he squeaked, as Gary's arm was compressing his throat slightly. "I know he's not in Indigo Plateau. I guess they took him to our base in Celadon."

"Quiet, fool!" one of the other guards said under his breath.

"I wasn't talking to you!" Misty snapped. "Unless you wanna end up passed out in the mud like Desterji, you better shut up."

She turned her attention back to the other guard. "So where's your base in Celadon? Tell me now, or Pikachu gets to show you how strong he's become."

"If I tell you that, Jessie will kill me for sure!"

"And if you don't, _we'll_ kill you right now," Gary threatened.

"He ain't sayin' nothin', Red," one of the other guards said. "It's bad enough that we're lettin' you go, we're in enough trouble. We ain't rattin' about our base too. At least if we die here, we won't have to face the boss."

"Well if facing Jessie is worse, then I guess that's what I'll make you do," Misty said dismissively. "Come on guys, let's go. Pikachu?"

"Pika…_CHUUUUUU_!" Pikachu screamed as he blasted the three Rocket guards with a Thundershock attack.

"Jessie must be something else these days," Gary remarked.

"She's always been nasty," Misty replied, "but to prefer being killed than to have to face her? She must have changed a _lot_."

"I'm more concerned about that lightning storm that came outta nowhere," Gary said. "Did ya see that huge bird Pokémon? I think it was Zapdos."

"It _was_ Zapdos," Misty answered. "I've seen it before. The way it just disappeared like that…I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Yeah, James must have been right about those cages that were stolen from Silph Co. They must be using them to capture the Legendary Birds."

"Desterji said the world would 'burn and flood'," she mused. "If they capture Zapdos, Articuno and Moltres, it'll throw the whole planet's weather out."

"That must be their plan," Gary said. "Jessie must be getting worried about you actually winning the tournament. We need to tell Gramps."

"And we need to tell Erika about the Rocket United base in Celadon. Let's head back to the Pokémon Centre, and fast. I don't know how I used to wear these shorts in the snow, I must have been crazy."

The sudden change in weather had made the temperature plummet as well as bringing the monsoon-like rain. The streets of Indigo Plateau were quickly beginning to flood, and people everywhere raced to get indoors. The third match of Round Two was announced as being postponed until further notice. Gary and Misty noticed water Pokémon inside doorways pumping the water out to prevent flood damage, and grass Pokémon were building makeshift dams to block more water from getting in. Gary even saw a Geodude trying to help out, but it quickly realised that it couldn't help while all the rain was coming down.

They made it back to the Pokémon Centre, where about a dozen people were trying to get in. There were Rocket United grunts blocking the doorway, with Poliwraths holding the people back. Nurse Joy was pleading with the grunts to let the people in out of the flooding rain, but they weren't listening. Gary and his Blastoise made their way through the crowd, with Pikachu and Misty following.

"Let them in," Gary demanded. "I won't ask you again."

"And just who do you think you are, kid?" one of the grunts laughed. "Poliwrath, take out this insect."

Poliwrath reared its fist back to punch Gary, but Blastoise grabbed its arm and threw it over the crowd and out onto the street.

"Kid, that's the last mistake you'll make," the grunt threatened angrily.

"My friend Pikachu is disappointed," Misty said calmly, but sternly. "Do you know why?"

"No, and I don't care. Your pathetic Pikachu doesn't concern me."

"Uh, you really shouldn't–" one of the other grunts tried to warn him.

"–Shut it, runt," the first grunt interrupted him.

Misty continued, unfazed.

"Pikachu's disappointed because he didn't get to battle in the tournament today. He had to watch my Wartortle take Desterji's shadow Pokémon apart, and he didn't get to battle at all."

"Huh?" the first grunt muttered. "Oh shit, you're–"

"–Let them in," she demanded. "And if you try to come back to this Pokémon Centre, Gary's Blastoise gets some target practise."

"Blaaaas," Blastoise grunted approvingly.

The Rocket grunts nodded as they fled, pushing people out of the way as they ran down the steps. Gary ushered the people inside, where Nurse Joy was waiting with warm towels for them all.

Misty immediately went to the video phones, but Gary stopped her.

"It's okay, I've got this one," he smiled. "You and Pikachu go and help Nurse Joy with these people. I'll take care of business. Blastoise can guard the entrance."

Professor Oak's face came up on the screen almost instantly, as if he'd been waiting for the call.

"_Gary!"_ he said, looking relieved. _"It's good to see you're alright. I guess Misty is okay as well, seeing as she won her match today. I noticed the weather's gone crazy up there too?"_

"It sure has," he answered flatly. "I've got bad news."

"_Zapdos has been captured," _Professor Oak answered.

"How'd you know?"

"_I'm the Pokémon Professor,"_ he laughed. _"Plus, I've seen the weather go crazy like this once before. It's worse than that, though."_

"How is it worse?"

"_Let's see…"_ Professor Oak looked down at his watch as he replied. He tapped the face of it, then looked up at the screen again. _"Look outside."_

Just as Gary turned around, the heavy rain turned into snowfall. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Does that mean Articuno's been captured too?" he asked.

"_No, it means Moltres has been captured," _the Professor answered. _"You'll know when Articuno's been captured too because the weather will go totally nuts. It'll be completely random, and change unexpectedly."_

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen too soon," Gary said solemnly. "Hey, is Erika still around? I've got some info about Rocket United's base that she'd be very interested in hearing."


	8. Celadon Officer Jenny's Plan

Gary's Arcanine was put to work straight away with both guarding and snow-clearing duties. Not having had much time out of his pokéball lately, he was happy to oblige and sat patiently out the front of the Pokémon Centre, watching for Rocket United patrollers and clearing the snow when it built up too high. He also went around to neighbouring buildings in the area and helped to clear snow from around their entrances and windows as well, only switching out after a few hours of duty to change with Misty's Charizard borrowed from Ash. There were, surprisingly, no incidents at all with any Rocket United patrollers. Misty was expecting there to be some sort of effort to reclaim the Pokémon Centre, given that they still had two entrants in the Jessie League tournament and this Centre was the closest one to Indigo Stadium. It should have made her feel more comfortable, even relieved, but it didn't.

_What are they doing? First there were at least three grunts in my field of vision at all times, now I haven't seen any at all since we left the stadium. What's going on?_

She stared out the window thinking deeply about the situation as it currently stood, having already helped Nurse Joy make the other patrons of the Pokémon Centre who were seeking shelter from the sudden snowstorm feel warm, comfortable and safe, as well as doing what she could to make sure they were all fed. Of course, Misty's culinary skills were legendary, even to Nurse Joy, so the actual cooking was handled by people who knew what they were doing. Luckily for them, there were two professional chefs taking shelter and they were more than happy to help out, wanting to do their bit to assist where Misty, Gary and Nurse Joy had been so kind themselves.

Desterji's words rang in Misty's mind on an irritating loop. She couldn't get them out of her head, and although she understood what he was getting at, it was what he _didn't_ say that had her _really _worried. She understood the implications of having the three legendary birds captured all at once, and she didn't doubt that Jessie could do it – she had the resources, the brains and the motivation to make it happen, and she'd already clearly captured two of them. It was the plan _behind_ their capture that she didn't get.

_Why take them? Why risk ruining the whole world when she already had it by the balls anyway? None of it makes any sense, and it's doing my head in! She must have a bigger plan at work, but for the life of me, I just can't figure out what the hell it could be. This is what happens when normal people try to figure out crazy people. I tell you, it just doesn't work. Where's James when you need him…or even better, Meowth. I never thought I'd say this – or I guess, think it – but I really miss those two idiots._

Her thoughts were interrupted by Gary, who wrapped a blanket around her bare shoulders. She'd changed from her signature blue super-tight denim short shorts to a pair of super-tight blue skinny jeans that she'd stolen from Amber, but she'd been too busy helping everyone else to bother putting a warmer top on, so she was still in her soaking wet silky white crop top – that she'd also stolen from Amber. She immediately tried to shrug the blanket off.

"Give it to someone else first," she insisted. "I'll be fine."

Gary put the blanket back around her shoulders again. "It's fine, Mist, everyone else has already got one. This one's for you. Your arms are turning blue."

She flashed a smile at him, but it quickly faded. "Thanks, Gary."

Gary frowned at her, looking down at her like he was trying to read her mind. "You don't get it either, do you."

"The Rockets' plan?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded back. "Everything from the tournament onwards seems a little pointless. Why go through all the trouble of the tournament at all, let alone messing with the weather, when Jessie clearly had the world wrapped around her witchy finger anyway?"

"That's what I don't get," she agreed, turning away from the window to look directly at him. "She didn't need any of this other stuff. She could have just continued to hold the world hostage and make demands; she would have gotten it done ages ago."

"I guess I could maybe understand the tournament thing. She's kinda petty, so a little revenge sorta makes sense. Maybe she was hoping Ash would be there too, seeing as he's made her thievery so difficult over the years. But since Ash didn't turn up, maybe she's just gotten bored with it and wants to mess with him another way?"

Misty shook her head. "No, I don't think she'd go through this much trouble just for Ash. She probably thinks she's way beyond needing to mess with him or steal Pikachu anymore. Unless…"

She stopped speaking, returning briefly to her thoughts as a new idea popped into her head. She turned her head back to look outside again and stared into space for a few moments. Gary looked at her queryingly, but before he had a chance to ask her what she was thinking of she faced him again, her eyes wide.

"She's gonna use the evolution machine on them," she said quietly, sounding frightened.

"But they can't evolve, they don't even have _pre-_evolved forms," Gary stated.

"No, but that machine didn't just make all the Pokémon they used it on evolve to their highest form."

Gary's eyes widened too as he realised what she was getting at.

"She's gonna turn them into Shadow Pokémon," he said. "She'll have the three legendary birds, meaner and stronger than ever, and they'll be on _her_ side. It's not enough to control the world, you have to be able to squash any resistance anywhere, anytime, no matter how strong it is. _That's_ why there's no more patrols here. She doesn't care about that anymore because soon she won't have to. She'll be able to send Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno out to do whatever she wants for her."

"Exactly," Misty agreed.

"Um, excuse me, Misty and Gary?" Nurse Joy called from the communal area. "You really have to see this."

They looked at each other, unsure what to expect, then ran down the corridor alongside the front counter towards the communal area. Everyone who had taken refuge from the storm was now gathered around a massive television. Joy turned up the volume as Gary and Misty approached. On the screen was Jessie herself, dressed in what appeared to be the exact same outfit she had on in the original broadcast notifying the world of the Jessie League tournament.

"_Pathetic people of all the regions of the world,"_ she began, eliciting an angry grunt from several people. _"I regret to inform you that Rocket United have withdrawn from the Jessie League. The next match will be the Grand Final, and will be contested by–"_

Jessie was given a note by a grunt who was standing off to the side of screen, as she clearly couldn't remember the names of the combatants.

"–_Anders Stevensson of Lavaridge Town, and – ugh – Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City."_

She looked visibly disgusted by the mere mention of Misty's name. As she continued, she put on a fake smile and her familiar witch-like sing-song voice again.

"_Now, don't be alarmed by my decision to exclude Rocket United from the rest of the tournament, this is simply because I don't think any of my lovely, charming Rocket United members should get in the way of what is certain to be such a thrilling match. The prize for winning is still the same: a chance to meet me personally and talk through peace terms with me. You'll be the honoured representative of the whole world, and what an exciting prospect it must be for the winning trainer to actually get to meet me in person! The match will occur tomorrow at two-o'clock in the afternoon._

"_Now, before I go, I'd just like to make one final announcement to my old friend and sometimes travelling companion, Misty."_

Her tone changed dramatically then, from her usual fake-sounding, obnoxious melody to the other voice she used – the angry, sinister snarl that Misty also knew so well.

"_Listen here, you little slut! Did you really think you would get away with this pathetic plan of yours? Did you really think I wouldn't know? Well guess what? If you lose your little match tomorrow, your insignificant little friends DIE. That's what you get for playing games with me, you cutesy little whore! Always prancing around, with your pretty little side-ponytail, and those ugly-ass suspenders, not to mention those slutty little shorts, and your do-gooder attitude. Now all the attention is on ME! How does it feel, slut? I get to make the rules now, and I say you get one chance to save your traitor friends. You win tomorrow, we negotiate a trade: you for them. You lose and they die, and then I probably just kill you anyway, I admit. You've got no idea how much I HATE you! I saw you at the tournament, and nothing's changed! Still as arrogant as ever. You see this face? You see it?! This is REAL beauty, little girl."_

Jessie was practically screaming at the camera now, totally out of breath, her shoulders heaving as she took in gulps of air after each explosive rant. The grunt off to the side of the screen passed another note to her then, which she angrily snatched off him. As she read it, her eyes bulged slightly and her face went a little red with what seemed like embarrassment.

"_Well, sorry to all you viewers out there who had to see the more…unpleasant side of me. If you'd known half the things this little bitch and her friends have done to me over the years you'd understand why I can't stand her. Anyway…enjoy the Jessie League Grand Final tomorrow afternoon, and here's hoping that the guy from Lavaridge wins so I can kill these damn traitors. Ta ta!"_

The camera slowly panned away from Jessie, revealing the foreground of the shot which wasn't visible when it was focused in on Jessie's upper body. There were two men and a Pokémon tied up and gagged, on their knees, and each man had a Scizor's blade at their throats. Misty gasped, placing a hand to her mouth as a flood of tears streamed down her face. Gary put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close.

"Oh my god," she whimpered. "It's James, Meowth and Ritchie."

* * *

Misty had said nothing for hours. Nurse Joy occasionally came to ask her if she needed anything, but she didn't even look up. She paid no attention to anyone around her at all. Even Gary gave up after an hour of trying to make her feel better. She just sat at a table by herself, her arms folded on the tabletop and her chin slumped into them, staring into space. She didn't cry, she didn't do anything at all other than breathe. Gary and Nurse Joy spoke to each other about what they planned on doing to get Meowth, James and Ritchie back, but without Misty involved there really wasn't much they could decide on. They needed her input. At eleven o'clock that night it had been two hours since she'd so much as taken a deep breath. She didn't even look up when a young girl of about eight years old came up to her. She was dressed in blue denim shorts, and her bright red hair was tied in a side ponytail. She looked like a mini-Misty.

"Miss Misty?" the girl asked, but Misty gave no response at all.

"I'm sorry, little lady," Gary told her, "but Misty's really upset about the stuff Jessie said. I don't think she wants to talk to anyone right now."

"But she has to!" the girl pouted. "We need her!"

Gary shrugged his shoulders. "Well, you can try I guess, but I'm sorry if she doesn't say anything back to you. She's had a rough time lately."

With that, Gary walked off to talk to Nurse Joy again, but the girl stayed put.

"I know you don't wanna be bothered right now," she started, "but I just wanted to tell you that you're like, my hero. I hate seeing you like this, Misty. But I know you're gonna do everything you can to get your friends back and win the Jessie League, because that's what you do. You help people."

Misty actually turned her head to face the girl then, and seeing the hopeful, concerned look on her young face made her shed a tear. Suddenly the waterworks started flowing, and she broke down completely. The young girl wrapped her arms around Misty's neck and hugged her. Misty held back at first, which made her cry a little harder, and the girl just held her tighter. Eventually she hugged her back.

"Don't cry, it'll be okay," the girl said softly. "The Rockets are just trying to scare you because you keep beating them all the time. Nobody can beat you."

"It's all my fault," Misty sobbed. "They wouldn't have been captured if it wasn't for me. The world wouldn't be about to end if it wasn't for me."

"The world would be owned by Rocket United if it wasn't for you," the girl countered. "Outside, there's not even one Rocket anymore. You scared them all away. You beat that Desterji guy like he was some rookie. You're the greatest, Misty. They're just scared of you because they can't win."

"But they've already won," Misty whimpered. "If I win the tournament, I still have to give myself up. They'll still have a hostage."

The girl pulled away, placing her little hands on Misty's shoulders and looking her right in the eyes. Misty continued sobbing, and the girl gently wiped her tears away. It was so sweet that Misty cried even more.

"_You'll_ be able to stop them. From the _inside_," the girl told her. "Your friends will be safe, and you'll be inside Rocket United. I know you can do it. You can do _anything_."

She gave Misty a little kiss on the cheek, then hugged her again.

"I love you, Misty," she whispered. "I wanna be beautiful and unbeatable when I grow up, just like you. I know you'll do the right thing."

"What's your name?" Misty asked as they pulled away.

"Melissa," the little girl answered.

Misty took off a gold bracelet with the letter M fashioned into its design; she'd been wearing it for a few years and gestured to Melissa to hold her wrist out. Luckily, the bracelet had several large links along it and it was easy to adjust the size. She put it on Melissa's little wrist, and the young girl's face lit up.

"So you wanna train Pokémon when you grow up?" she asked with a little sniff.

"Yep!" Melissa answered enthusiastically. "I wanna train water Pokémon just like you do. I'm gonna be a water Pokémon master, just like you!"

"Thanks for your sweet words," she said softly to her, a genuine smile on her face, backed by a surge in pride and purpose. "I'll make all of Rocket United pay for what they've done, I promise. So you and all the other kids out there can become great Pokémon trainers too."

The girl smiled sweetly at her and gave her another peck on the cheek before happily skipping off back to what looked like an older sister. Nurse Joy stepped up next to Misty, right where Melissa had been standing.

"She lost her parents about a month ago," she explained. "That's her sister; she's been looking after her. I help them out however I can, but there's just so many of them. Nearly every one of the people here have had someone in their family killed by Rocket United, or just never seen again. It was the most awful thing when the Rockets took over the Pokémon Centres. Kids like Melissa and her sister had nowhere to go."

Misty put a hand to her mouth as she felt her tears returning again. She suddenly felt dreadful about being so upset when there were kids without parents in the same room as her. She wondered how a girl that looked no older than eight could possibly have the strength, the courage, not to mention the compassion and fortitude to stay positive in the face of such extreme adversity, and to want to make _others_ feel better as well. It blew Misty's mind, and now she had something else to fight for.

_I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself when there are people like those kids who have nowhere else to go because of Jessie and Rocket United. People who've lost parents, brothers, sisters, partners…because of Rocket United. This has to stop,_ she told herself. _This ends with me. I'll win this tournament, and then I'll take Rocket United apart._

She wiped the tears from her cheeks as Gary came and sat down opposite her.

"Feeling better?" he asked as innocently as possible, not wanting to trigger anything.

"Worse, actually," she answered. "After I win tomorrow, I'm gonna go and get James, Ritchie and Meowth back. Then I'm gonna destroy Rocket United and save Zapdos and Moltres."

Nurse Joy smiled down at her. "Then you should give me your pokéballs. The least I can do is make sure they're as ready as you finally seem to be."

Misty watched as Melissa happily went around showing everyone the bracelet she'd given her. She smiled to herself, almost bursting into tears again, then turned to Nurse Joy.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," she said, handing over her pokéballs. "I guess I _am_ ready."

"That's good," came a stern but feminine voice from behind her. "Because that little girl was right. You can take them apart from the inside, and I'll make sure you get all the help you need."

Misty swung around instantly; she knew who that voice belonged to, although technically she knew a _lot _of people who that voice belonged to. It was Officer Jenny.

"The Celadon City Officer Jenny, in case you're wondering," she smiled. "Erika's spies checked out the alleged Rocket United headquarters just like you asked."

"And?" Gary prodded hopefully.

"Oh, it's red hot," Jenny confirmed with a serious look. "They're not even bothering to hide it anymore, it's basically out in the open. No flashing signs or anything like that, but it's pretty obvious something sordid is going on in there."

"I'm guessing you have a plan then?" Misty asked.

Jenny grinned. "I wouldn't bother wasting my time coming all the way here if I didn't, especially in _this_ weather."

"How _did_ you get here in this weather?" Gary asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"An old friend of Ash's, or so he claims," Jenny smiled again. "He couldn't find Ash or Brock, so he came back to Professor Oak's lab to see if there was anything the flock could do to help out there."

"Pidgeot!" Misty exclaimed, standing up, then realised that it meant Ash was not returning any time soon, and she sat back down again sombrely.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," Jenny assured her with a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But right now we have to assume he won't be around to help us out. Luckily for us, my plan should work pretty well even without him."

A small crowd gathered around the Pokémon Centre's fireplace as Misty, Gary, Jenny and Joy moved there to discuss the plan. They sat on a plush rug that lined the floor around the fireplace, and the crowd sat on booth-like chairs surrounding them that were arranged in a semi-circle shape about five feet from the fire.

"Firstly, I'm sure we all saw Jessie in her rant-filled broadcast earlier," Jenny began. "Her ultimatum is that Ritchie, James and Meowth will be swapped for Misty if she wins the Grand Final tomorrow. If she loses, Jessie will kill them all and proceed with her ultimate plan anyway. I'm sorry if anyone finds that a little confronting, but there's no point me dancing around the truth. This is how it is now. I must admit, other than assuming it has something to do with the weather, I'm a little lost as to why she pulled Rocket United out of the tournament."

"Because the tournament was a game to her," Gary explained. "She wanted to show off, but now she's losing and she doesn't wanna play anymore. All her best forces are tied up here when they're better off terrorising innocent people in more populous cities, that's why there's no Rockets here in Indigo Plateau now. Hardly anyone actually lives here compared with places like Vermillion and Saffron, and with Misty and I here, along with all the tournament contenders that weren't captured or killed they wouldn't stand a chance if we all revolted against them. But you noticed the weather. Jessie's captured Zapdos and Moltres. She'll use them and Articuno once it's captured too to get her way if she doesn't get what she initially wanted in the first place."

"Leadership of the whole world," Jenny finished. "That makes a lot of sense. And it explains what happened to those prototype master-cages that were stolen from Silph Co. Luckily it doesn't change my plan, though."

"You're gonna storm the Rocket Base," Misty deduced.

"Y-yes, how did you know?"

"If you have me on the inside taking care of Jessie, and an army of Pokémon trainers on the outside taking on the Rockets, we might have a chance," Misty explained. "They'll provide a diversion that should keep the grunts all occupied while I do what I have to do."

"It's not that simple," Gary shook his head. "There aren't enough trainers with strong enough Pokémon in Celadon City to mount a serious attack. It'd be a suicide mission. Even Misty wasn't using most of her own Pokémon in the tournament matches. She borrowed some of Ash's Pokémon to battle with because they're as strong as her own Pokémon and aren't all water-types. That Rocket base will be like a fortress, and hardly anyone's Pokémon are as strong as Misty and Ash's are."

"You're forgetting about Erika's spies," Nurse Joy noted. "Won't they be able to help?"

Jenny nodded. "They'll be able to trap the areas where the Rocket United forces will spread out from the base. Their Pokémon won't be strong enough to battle against them, but they're more than enough – and the Celadon Spies are well and truly knowledgeable enough about Celadon City's terrain and layout – to be able to cause a lot of trouble for the Rockets. Plus, you're _also_ forgetting my new friends."

"The Pallet Pidgeys," Misty smiled. "They can help with the attack."

"That's right, Misty," Jenny smiled back at her. "They agreed to help with aerial attacks on the Rocket United forces. Will all of _those_ allies, plus any volunteer trainers that wanna help, we might be in with a shot. Misty, you'll need to do some recruiting at the tournament. It'll still be broadcast live across the world, including the victory speech, so you can use that to 'rally the troops', so to speak."

"No problem," she nodded. "I can definitely do that. You might wanna hit up the Squirtle Squad too, they'll be able to help against all those Golem the Rockets like so much. About the trainers though, it'll be dangerous. Are we sure we're ready to let innocent people put their lives and their Pokémon's lives at risk like this?"

"They can stay behind and get kidnapped or killed by Rocket United a different way if that's what they want," Gary snorted. "Plus, it's not like we're _making_ them do anything. It's totally a volunteer thing."

Melissa's sister stepped forward then, causing everyone to turn and look, which made her shy and very nervous.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, I'm not sure it's really even my place to say anything at all with company like this around," she started, speaking only loudly enough that everyone could hear her, but lacking the confidence and charisma that the others all spoke with. She was a few inches taller than Misty, also with long red hair like her sister, but freckled and quite thin. Misty could tell that she'd been giving her little sister her own food to eat, and she felt her emotions rising to the surface again as another symptom of Rocket United's conquest became clear.

"I want this plan to work as much as anyone. Rocket United killed my parents, and my sister and I have been on our own since then, just like so many others here and around the world. But your plan is only half done. What happens on the outside is really only a distraction. It's what Misty does on the _inside_ that really counts. Rocket United will _never_ let Misty take her Pokémon with her when they capture her. They'll steal them for sure. If you let her be captured she'll just be added to the list of people Rocket United killed because they posed a threat. If Misty becomes another statistic it'll be devastating for the whole world. She's a symbol of hope for everyone now, and if that hope gets taken away no one will oppose Rocket United."

The crowd was silent after Melissa's sister stopped speaking. They knew she was right; if Misty won the tournament and replaced James, Meowth and Ritchie as Jessie's hostage, no one would be brave enough to take a risk like this again. It took a while before Nurse Joy broke the silence.

"Angelica's right," she said sternly. "We need a way to get Misty's Pokémon inside that base too."

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked. He'd been sitting on Melissa's lap the whole time, after helping some of the younger kids feel better by playing with them for a while. "Chu, pikachu. Pi_ka_chu, pika pika."

"He says he can smuggle them in," Misty translated. "I think I know what he's got in mind."

She stood up in front of everyone, standing next to Officer Jenny.

"One of the Celadon Spies can get Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Wartortle in through an air vent or something, and they can carry my other three Pokémon in their pokéballs. They break in, find their way to me, I escape and we go together to find Jessie."

"Will Pikachu and the other Pokémon be able to do that all by themselves?" Jenny asked skeptically.

Pikachu crossed his arms and stood proudly,

"Pikachu's been breaking in to places and zapping Rockets longer than some of these kids have been alive," Misty smirked. "He can do it."

"Well in that case, I better go and finalise the attack plan with Erika. We'll be cheering you on in your match tomorrow, Misty. Do your best, and I'll see you on the other side," Jenny said, then disappeared outside into the snowstorm as Pidgeot came in for a landing. In a flash, they were both gone.

"What about me?" Angelica asked. "I wanna help too. You guys have all done so much for us."

Misty shook her head. "You can help by taking care of your sister and the other people here who have nothing left," she said.

Nurse Joy nodded. "She's right, Angelica. You can be so much more useful here helping me take care of all these people. On the battlefield you'd only be a liability. We can't have Gary and Jenny and all the others worrying about your safety while they're fighting Rocket United."

Angelica's shoulders slumped a little, but she knew they were right.

"I'd be honoured," she said with a sad smile. "I just wanna do all I can to help out. I wanna give something back. We owe you guys _everything_. Without you, we wouldn't even be here."

Nurse Joy smiled back at her. Misty admired the way she and all the Joys always seemed to exude either compassionate warmth or infectious happiness with each beautiful smile. For a moment, she almost understood what Brock saw in them all.

"You two better get some rest," Joy told Gary and Misty. "I know your match doesn't start until two in the afternoon, but it's very late. You have a very big day ahead of you tomorrow."

Gary grinned at her. "You know we're adults now, right?"

"I know," Nurse Joy chuckled. "But there's a maternal side to all us Joys that just can't be satiated. Now off to bed, you two!"

She led them down one of the corridors and into two separate rooms, gesturing for Pikachu to come with her for an overnight stay in the Pokémon recovery rooms. As soon as she turned her back, Misty quickly and quietly left her room and went into Gary's room, making sure no one saw her in the process.


	9. Grand Final - Anders vs Misty

Misty and Gary were up first, before anyone else. Even Nurse Joy was still asleep when they got up. Gary was only awake because Misty woke him up and he couldn't get back to sleep again, but he didn't mind. It was a big day, after all, probably the biggest day in their collective lives. Of course, Misty had faced other daunting adversaries in the past, even the three Legendary Birds once, but she always had Ash and Brock or Tracey there to help out. This time she had to face the worst of it by herself; even if Gary and Officer Jenny had their own parts to play, the hardest part was reserved for her. She felt a little like Ash in a way; being thrust into a situation that was probably way out of her league, but being the only one who had much of a chance to succeed meant that she didn't really have a choice. She'd already broken down over it and recovered once, there wasn't any going back now. She had to go through with it.

_I wonder what Anders is thinking right now,_ she wondered. _Is he going to throw the match so I can save Ritchie, James and Meowth? I hope not. I don't want to win a League championship that way, even the Jessie League championship. I'll just have to win properly in order to save them. No sweat…I beat guys like this all the time in the Cerulean Gym, I can beat this guy too._

She looked across the battlefield as the tall grass swayed violently in the strong, swirling breeze. Pikachu sat perched on her shoulder, sparks flying out of his electric sacs as he revved himself up for the match. Anders Stevensson walked confidently across the battlefield, at first just a shadow against the barely lighted backdrop of the arena seats, but then he slowly came into view as he approached her. The massive stadium lights were off as the crowd filled the rows upon rows of seats, keeping the field type hidden from the spectators until it was time to battle. It was a strange experience. Normally the sky would be bright and the air would be hot at this time of day, especially at this time of year. At the moment it was barely above freezing, and a thick layer of snow covered almost everything. Thankfully the Pokémon League had turned the stadium heating on, and that had melted some of the snow before it blanketed the stadium too badly, but there was only so much that could be done. Being an open-air stadium, snow still got in, along with the chilling wind. It was bearable, but only just. If she'd been wearing shorts like she usually did – even in winter – she'd have frozen by now. She usually didn't mind the cold, being from Cerulean City, but this was on another level altogether.

"Hey, I'm Anders," the young man introduced himself. He was tall, about six-foot-four Misty guessed, reasonably thin and with long, straight dark brown hair. He was quite handsome and seemed rather laid back for a guy who was competing in such an important tournament match.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Misty," she replied with a smile, shaking his hand.

"I know who you are, everyone does," he smiled back. "I just wanted to say something before the match starts and we're all about kicking each other's' ass," he continued, looking down at his feet sheepishly. "I don't know exactly how to say this, so I'm just gonna say it. Sorry if it comes out wrong, but I mean this in a totally not-harsh way."

Misty raised an eyebrow, totally confused. She folded her arms across her chest and popped her hip, waiting for him to say something quite harsh indeed.

"I saw Jessie's broadcast last night. I think everyone in the world probably did. I – I'm really sorry to hear about your friends. I wish there was something I could do to help out. But the only thing I can do right now is throw the match, and I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna try my hardest to beat you and win this tournament with honour. I know Jessie said she'd kill your friends if you lose, and if I win I promise I'll bring that up with her as part of the peace talks. I won't let them die. But I'm _not_ going to lose to you on purpose when I have a chance to save the world from Rocket United. No way."

Misty smirked at him, which obviously wasn't what he was expecting her to do, and it took him by surprise.

"Is – is something wrong?" he asked curiously.

"No," she answered flatly. "I guess I just found it a little amusing that you thought I'd want you to throw the match for me. I'm a gym leader, after all. I totally understand where you're coming from, and I agree that we should battle today with honour. Because _something _honourable has to come out of this tournament. We should make this the best match anyone's ever seen. If for nothing else, then as a sign of hope for the people out there who've probably lost all theirs by now. Let's give them something to cheer about."

She held out her hand, waiting for him to shake it. He hesitated for a few moments, then smiled back at her. He looked her right in the eyes, like he was looking at her soul.

"You know it's true what they say about you," he grinned. "You really are something special, Miss Waterflower. It's a deal."

They shook hands like old friends, sealing their deal as if they were long-lost reformed enemies now fighting on the same side. He kept looking into her eyes, and Misty saw respect, integrity and strength in his. She knew he was good for his word, even though she'd just met him.

"There's one more thing," she said as they let their handshake slip. "No matter what happens in this match, there's something you should know about the peace talks with Jessie. Erika and Officer Jenny from Celadon, myself and Gary Oak have come up with a plan to stop Jessie, and we could really use your help, if you're willing, that is."

Anders' expression turned into a stern, serious one very suddenly.

"If you have a plan, then I'm definitely in," he answered, "and I have a few friends from Lavaridge who'll wanna help out as well."

"Great," Misty smiled wryly. "Have you got transport?"

* * *

Gary slipped his hand into Misty's as the podium rose at her end of the battlefield. She gave it a squeeze as she waved to the crowd, trying to pretend that the cold wasn't bothering her. The truth was, it was worse up high in the centre of the arena where they were. The swirling winds were brutally cold and penetrating. The Pokémon League had set up little heaters all around them on the podium's barriers to try and combat it somewhat, but it only did so much. She was wearing a pair of tight black leather pants and a matching leather jacket, but the jacket had a deep plunge, fastened below her breasts and showing quite a bit of cleavage. She was really feeling the cold. Gary had insisted that she wear something warmer, but she'd told him it wasn't her style, and that she had an image to uphold.

"Besides," she'd said. "Normally in temperatures like this I'd be in short shorts."

_"This girl certainly doesn't need an introduction, but she's getting one anyway,"_ the announcer began enthusiastically. _"She's won every match pretty easily so far, which stands to reason as she's regarded as one of the most feared gym leaders in the world. She's also one of the sweetest, prettiest and most generous people you'll ever meet. She's fighting for you all today, it's Cerulean City's beautiful redheaded firecracker, the one and only Misty Waterflower!"_

The podium rose on the other end of the battlefield as the announcer spoke, timed perfectly to come to a halt at its full height moments after he'd finished.

_"And appropriately on the red trainer's podium, it's a man who's more famous for battering Rocket United out of Lavaridge town than for competing in Pokémon League tournaments. He's kept a low profile up until this point, but that all ends when you're in a Pokémon League Grand Final. He's the leader of the Lavaridge Defenders and has battled through all kinds of adversity to get here today, not just in his home town but also here at the Jessie League. Please welcome Lavaridge Town's Anders Stevensson!"_

"Blue trainer, choose your Pokémon!" the League official told Misty.

She stood firm, looking right at Anders with a confident smirk on her face. She touched each of her pokéballs one by one before settling on the one she'd had planned from the beginning.

"Bulbasaur! I choose you!"

The flashing red light of Bulbasaur's pokéball quickly formed on the battlefield below, and Bulbasaur announced himself with pride without delay. He glanced up at Misty and nodded at her as the League official continued.

"Red trainer, choose your Pokémon!"

Anders didn't delay at all, smiling as if Misty had chosen exactly the Pokémon he thought she would. He released his own Pokémon, and it came as somewhat of a surprise to her. A bad surprise.

"Pidgeot, go!" he yelled, still smiling wryly.

_"This is it, this is the moment you've all been waiting for," _the announcer said eagerly. _"The Jessie League Grand Final is about to begin! Anders Stevensson of Lavaridge Town versus Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City. The militia leader against the gym leader in the ultimate showdown! Let the match begin!"_

Misty was all over it.

"Bulbasaur! Sunny Day!"

Bulbasaur shot a beam into the sky from the bulb on his back, and the clouds immediately parted ways, letting an intense burst of sunlight into the stadium.

"It's the only way, Misty!" Gary yelled out from behind her. "Now Solarbeam it!"

"Solarbeam, Bulbasaur!" she cried out, but Anders had other ideas.

"Pidgeot, Quick Attack!"

Pidgeot was fast. _Really_ fast. It charged head-first into Bulbasaur so quickly that the little grass Pokémon had no chance to even position himself properly for the Solarbeam, despite Sunny Day. It should have only taken a split second to attack, but that was all the time Pidgeot needed. Bulbasaur was launched straight back into the arena wall on the full, hitting it hard and knocking the wind out of him. He got back to his feet but was struggling pretty badly.

_Oh, that's bad, _Misty admitted to herself. _Bulbasaur's no slouch, either._

"Come on, Bulbasaur! It's gonna take more than that to beat you!" she encouraged him, crossing her fingers. "Give Pidgeot a Razor Leaf!"

"Bad move, Waterflower," Anders grinned. "Pidgeot, Gust Attack!"

Pidgeot rose a few feet into the air, launching an almighty Gust at Bulbasaur, who struggled to keep his footing against the intense wind. The blade-like leaves were blown haplessly away as Bulbasaur dug in, trying to resist the incredibly strong attack. By now the clouds had already moved back into place and Bulbasaur had missed his window of opportunity for his most powerful attack. Misty's heart sank as Bulbasaur was again lifted off his feet and launched into the arena wall.

"That's it, Pidgeot! One more should do it! Sky Attack!"

Pidgeot flew high into the air, disappearing into the thick clouds as snow fell down on everyone's upturned faces.

_"This isn't looking good for Misty's Bulbasaur. Disadvantaged by having to choose first, Misty's suffering a catastrophic type disadvantage against Pidgeot, who also looks to have a level advantage as well. This looks like it could be over for the little grass Pokémon," _the announcer said grimly.

Bulbasaur got to his feet, but his body was hopelessly battered. It was over, but for the final blow. Pidgeot struck down at Bulbasaur like a lightning bolt from the sky. The Sky Attack was so fast that Misty wasn't sure she'd seen it correctly. Pidgeot rained down on Bulbasaur like a missile, angling back up only at the very last moment. Bulbasaur was again launched into the arena wall, and this time he didn't get back up.

"Bulbasaur is unable to battle. Pidgeot is the winner!" the League official announced.

The crowd roared, which made Misty slump a little. It had been a long while since anyone had beaten any of her Pokémon that easily. Not to mention the crowd cheering for her opponent, which hadn't happened all tournament.

"Don't worry, Mist," Gary reassured her. "That was a mismatch. Time to take the advantage away from Pidgeot."

_And I know just the Pokémon for the job,_ she told herself.

"Go! Starmie!"

Starmie uttered no sound and made no movements, as usual. It stood totally stone-like in opposition to Pidgeot, whose wings were braced, ready to follow whatever command Anders issued.

_"That was fast!"_ the announcer crowed."_Pidgeot destroys Bulbasaur easily in the first minute of this exciting Grand Final match. Anders is showing us all why even Rocket United are afraid of the Lavaridge Defenders. Misty's down one Pokémon already, but it's a long match and she still has five very strong contenders left. This match is far from over."_

"Oh, it'll be over soon," Anders grinned darkly. "Pidgeot, Hurricane attack!"

Pidgeot flapped furiously, flying so quickly around Starmie that Misty had trouble seeing it. The wind became a localised storm, spinning all around Starmie and shrouding it in airborne snow and grass. Misty was an old hand with Starmie though, and this was hardly a deterrent.

"Starmie, Tackle attack your way outta there!" she yelled confidently, having done that trick many times before.

Starmie leapt into the air, spinning like a shuriken at it sliced its way out of the tornado that Pidgeot had whipped up. It landed about twenty feet away, facing the whirlwind, ready for action.

"Alright, Starmie! Ice beam!"

Starmie shot out a thick beam from its topmost appendage, freezing the airborne grass, snow and water droplets and turning them into micro-meteors. Pidgeot shrieked as it was struck repeatedly by the tiny shrapnel whipped up into a howling cyclone by its own attack. It sailed out of the Hurricane attack, which slowly died down as Pidgeot fell to the earth.

"No! Pidgeot!" Anders shouted desperately. "You have to get up, buddy!"

"Finish it off with Water Gun, Starmie!"

Before Pidgeot had even hit the ground it was struck again by a brutally powerful blast of water that hit with accuracy that would even make Wartortle and the Squirtle Squad blush. Despite the huge size of Pidgeot, it was launched backwards mid-fall, hitting the arena wall before bouncing off and landing outside the marked battlefield. It was out cold.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" the League official announced, sounding quite excited. "Starmie is the winner!"

_"This match is going to be huge!"_ the announcer cried. _"Misty Waterflower hits back and evens the score, wiping Pidgeot out with no fuss at all! I've never seen a Hurricane attack turned back on the attacker before. Incredible stuff! Let's see how Anders responds."_

_He's good, _Misty thought as she stared Anders down, waiting for him to choose his next Pokémon, _but so am I._

It took Anders a few moments to decide what he was going to choose next. Misty leaned on the podium barrier railing as she waited, crossing her legs. Her leather pants squeaked slightly as she moved, distracting Gary, who was standing behind her, and couldn't take his eyes off her.

"What's he gonna choose next, do ya think?" Misty asked him, turning around so the microphone at the front of the podium wouldn't pick it up. She caught him staring, which annoyed her. She grunted in irritation, then took two long, angry strides towards him and slapped him in the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Damn, Misty!" Gary shouted, rubbing his face.

"This is really important!" she yelled at him. "You can stare at my ass any time _other than now!_ God, I thought Brock was the only one who did that."

"No, it's a guy thing in general," Gary replied cautiously. "Why do you think I took cheerleaders with me when I first started?"

"Because you're vain?" she answered angrily. "Just concentrate on the match, would you? You're up here instead of in the stands with everyone else because you're _supposed_ to be a coach. There's a time and a place, Gary. If I catch you drooling again I'll squeeze you out cold and tell the guards to kick your ass out of the stadium!"

Gary looked down at his shoes bashfully, as Anders still decided what he would choose next.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm not normally like this. I know how important this match is, and–"

"Just stand over there and shut up," she growled, pointing to the corner of the podium.

"Go, Venusaur!" Anders finally yelled.

_"Anders chooses a Venusaur to compete with Misty's Starmie. A type advantage again for the Lavaridge militiaman. With all the odds squared up in this match, it looks like things are about to get really interesting."_

"It's also a poison-type, Misty," Gary told her. "Starmie should have an advantage there."

"Thanks for the input, lover-boy," Misty scowled. "I'm not stupid."

"Venusaur! Vine Whip!"

Venusaur launched four thick vines at a cracking speed, each one grabbing hold of one of Starmie's appendages and ripping it off the ground, drawing it back in towards itself. Misty was quick though, and wasn't fazed at all.

"Starmie, Blizzard!"

Starmie's top appendage was unrestrained, and it shot out a blast of tiny icy particles that accelerated towards Venusaur before Starmie was drawn too close. It immediately let go of Starmie at it was struck, roaring in pain as the Blizzard attack hit it square between the eyes. Starmie skidded to a halt a few feet from Venusaur, who was unable to see after the attack.

"Starmie, Psychic!"

Venusaur was lifted a few inches off the ground, and it wiggled its giant hooves in protest as Starmie's ruby-red centre jewel flashed brightly. It roared again, shaking its head in pain as Starmie's Psychic attacked Venusaur's mind. After a few moments it fell to the earth as Starmie ceased the attack, knowing that Venusaur was finished.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! Starmie is the winner!" the League official shouted.

_"My, my!" _the announcer quipped. _"That was very quick. Venusaur's secondary Poison typing worked against it as Starmie's Psychic powers took control, turning this match in Misty's favour!"_

Anders frowned, but didn't say anything. He closed his eyes for a moment as if he were calming himself. He grabbed hold of a third pokéball and released it before opening his eyes again.

_"Anders goes with a true type advantage this time, choosing an Electivire! Unlike Rocket United's many Electivire, this one looks calm and composed. A sign of a lot of experience on the battlefield."_

_It won't be enough, _Misty smiled to herself.

"Starmie, Ice Beam!"

Starmie's top appendage bent forwards and shot an Ice Beam out as quick as lightning, aiming straight for Electivire's chest, but Electivire was quick, even for an electric-type.

"That's right, Electivire, keep that Agility up!" Anders said with a lopsided smirk.

"Misty, you know that speed won't work against–" Gary started to say.

"I _know!_" Misty cut him off. "Starmie! Psychic!"

Electivire had turned into a yellow blur around the battlefield, but was stopped dead in his tracks as Starmie's Psychic attack telekinetically launched it off the ground.

"Electivire, quick! Thunderbolt!"

Electivire powered up incredibly quickly, but the attack was stopped mid-stream by Starmie's powerful Psychic.

"_Misty's Starmie is really something else!" _the announcer shouted excitedly. _"We all knew Misty was a talented water Pokémon trainer, but her Starmie's Psychic powers are really incredible. Probably from years spent beating the hell out of challengers at the Cerulean Gym, no doubt."_

"Yeah!" Gary cried. "That's the way!"

"Thank Alakazam for me," Misty smiled at him, seemingly forgetting about being mad at him through the rush of adrenaline. "Now, Starmie! Hydro Pump!"

Starmie held Electivire in mid-air, telekinetically moving it to point blank range and used its top three appendages to blast out a powerful Hydro Pump attack. The force of the massive blast launched Electivire straight up into the sky, coming down more than five seconds later and hitting the ground hard.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Starmie is the winner!" the League official announced.

"_This match is quickly turning in Misty's favour. All the momentum lies with her now. Anders has to do something quickly if he wants to wrest control of the match from her."_

_Three down, three to go,_ Misty grinned to herself.

"No more messing around!" Anders shouted angrily. "I'm using my strongest now! Go, Tyranitar!"

Misty's eyes bulged a little then; she wasn't expecting him to use Tyranitar until the end of the match. It looked huge as it formed out of the pokéball's red light, dwarfing her Starmie, who looked pretty settled down the other end. Misty knew that Starmie was running out of puff though. It had used a lot of powerful attacks, and she wasn't sure how much more it could do.

"Careful, Misty," Gary warned. "These things are _really _strong. And it's a dark-type."

"It's also a rock-type," Misty countered.

"_Anders takes the offensive, choosing his Tyranitar as his fourth Pokémon to battle against Misty's unstoppable Starmie. Will it be enough to beat Starmie's powerful Psychic attacks?"_

"Starmie! Hydro Pump!"

Starmie reared back, then aimed its top three appendages again, letting loose another powerful Hydro Pump. It hit Tyranitar in the chest but didn't seem to bother it too much.

"Pump it up, Starmie!" Misty commanded, wondering why it wasn't effective.

Starmie increased the pressure, and it finally started making Tyranitar stumble backwards a step or two. But it wasn't enough, and Tyranitar leapt into the air, landing right in front of Starmie and shaking the ground. The force of it landing was exactly like an Earthquake attack, and it hurt Starmie as if it had been done on purpose. Misty squealed.

"Quick, Starmie! Psychic attack!" she squeaked.

Starmie did as it was told, its jewelled centre glowing and flashing brightly as Tyranitar was lifted into the air slightly. Its claws grabbed at its head as the Psychic attack took root, but this time Anders was ready.

"Tyranitar! Dark Pulse!"

Tyranitar's eyes glowed red as it concentrated, sending a wave of powerful dark energy at Starmie, who instantly dropped Tyranitar and was knocked backwards, flattened against the ground with the force of the attack. It was unable to move for a few moments until Tyranitar ceased.

"Now Crunch it, Tyranitar!" Anders called out.

Tyranitar bolted across the arena towards Starmie, moving slow but inciting terror nonetheless. It was a big Pokémon, and the sight of it charging towards you was frightening. It picked Starmie up off the ground and bit down on it hard, cracking its central jewel and turning out its lights.

"Starmie is unable to battle! Tyranitar is the winner!" the League official announced.

The crowd was really getting into the battle now, cheering with each successful attack from both sides. The atmosphere was completely different from when the Rocket United grunts were competing. Misty found it less polarising, which made it feel like there was less support for her. She was almost beginning to resent it, but only when one of her Pokémon went down.

"_Tyranitar scores a win for Anders! He has three Pokémon left now to Misty's four. We're not even halfway done yet and it's all guns blazing in this Grand Final! Don't even blink, folks!"_

"You gotta think about this, Misty," Gary told her. "You can't use Charizard, Tyranitar's a rock-type. Or Pikachu. He's way too small; one attack will take him out of the match."

"I have to try something," Misty frowned in concentration. "I don't wanna waste Wartortle just yet."

She grabbed Muk's pokéball and released him onto the battlefield.

"_An interesting choice from Misty,"_ the announcer said. _"Muk has good defence, but will it be enough to handle Tyranitar's enormous power?"_

"Let's find out!" Anders yelled. "Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!"

Tyranitar sent out another intense wave of energy, which struck Muk quickly and basically liquified him. He couldn't reform into his normal semi-upright posture again, and it was over in less than a second.

"Muk is unable to battle! Tyranitar is the winner!"

Misty's shoulders slumped as the reality dawned on her.

_I don't have anything that can battle against this thing. James, Meowth and Ritchie are gonna die._

She shook herself off as quickly as the thoughts came to her mind, reminding herself that she had to focus.

_It's not over yet, I still have three left. Three incredibly powerful Pokémon, and that's more than enough._

"_Wow! This Tyranitar is really showing us a truly incredible display of power here. Misty's Muk is out of the match as fast as it entered, and now it's all square again in the Jessie League Grand Final!"_

Gary stayed silent, knowing that anything he said that wasn't useful information would be cause for Misty to scream at him again. Misty tried to stay calm, reaching for her Pokéballs. She glanced at Pikachu, who leapt into Gary's arms and cowered. Misty sighed, then took out her fourth pokéball.

"Go Wartortle! Hydro Pump!"

Wartortle was barely out of the pokéball when his head disappeared into his shell and was replaced by a powerful blast of water even more powerful than Misty's Starmie's was. The blast struck Tyranitar in the chest as Starmie's Hydro Pump had, and forced it to stagger backwards a few feet. It wasn't enough to cause any serious damage, though.

"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!"

Wartortle's eyes went wide as he prepared himself, trying desperately to remember what Stone Edge was.

"Wartortle, Withdraw!" Misty shouted, just in time.

Wartortle withdrew into his shell just as the ground parted underneath him, making way for sharpened rocks to poke through and strike right where he'd been standing. The rocks shattered upon hitting Wartortle's shell, and he was launched into the air, rolling to a stop a few feet away. As he exited his shell he looked dazed, and Misty's heart sank even lower.

_Is there anything that can stand this thing's attacks?_

"Wartortle, you okay?" she asked, and Wartortle collected himself quickly, shaking off his daze and nodding with fortitude.

"Okay then, Wartortle! Skull Bash!"

"Misty, no!" Gary cried out, but it was too late. Wartortle started charging, leaping off the ground and flying straight at Tyranitar's head. He struck home, making Tyranitar stagger backwards, but also knocking himself out cold.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Tyranitar is the winner!"

"Damn, Misty," Gary scolded. "Tyranitar's a _rock_ type. Normal moves don't work."

"I had to do _something_," she countered desperately. "Even Hydro Pump didn't do anything against it."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gary said, gesturing at Tyranitar on the battlefield below. "Take a look."

Tyranitar was holding strong, at first glance. But as Misty looked a little closer, she saw that its already slow movements were now painful as well. The water had clearly seeped through to areas Tyranitar wasn't used to, and was causing it all kinds of pain. It's breathing was also slightly laboured from being struck so hard in the chest by Wartortle and Starmie's Hydro Pumps.

"You're right," she said softly, peering over the edge of the podium barrier. "What do you think, Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Pikachu cried out, hiding his face in Gary's chest.

"Fine, I'm sure Charizard won't be such a coward," Misty scowled, grabbing for the big lizard's pokéball. "Go show Tyranitar who's got the _real_ power!"

"_Misty's Charizard gets his first appearance at the tournament! Mind you, we've seen this Charizard before at Indigo Stadium, when it disobeyed Ash Ketchum against Ritchie Jackson eight years ago. Let's hope it's more obedient with Misty this time round!"_

Charizard snorted in amusement at the announcer's comments, then growled in excitement as he looked Tyranitar up and down. Tyranitar stomped its feet, trying to intimidate Charizard, but Charizard just snorted in amusement again.

"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!"

"Charizard, fly into the air!"

Charizard took off at a leisurely pace, flying up into the air as he was told and hanging about ten feet off the ground.

"Tyranitar, Rock Slide!" Anders growled in frustration.

Tyranitar plunged its huge claws into the ground and ripped out a pair of massive boulders, sending chunks of grass and powdery snow spitting out in all directions. It raised them over its head one by one, hurling them at speed towards Charizard, but Charizard simply dodged them.

"Keep up the Rock Slide, Tyranitar!" Anders commanded, and Tyranitar kept digging up boulders, hurling them one after the other at Charizard, who kept dodging them.

"Eventually one is going to hit home," Gary warned Misty.

"I _know_," she snarled. "I'm _thinking_."

Tyranitar kept hurling boulder after boulder, each one missing Charizard by ever-decreasing margins. Charizard was trying to look bored, but he really was trying quite hard to dodge them.

"Charizard! Up into the sky and use Sunny Day!"

"You tried that, Waterflower," Anders mocked. "Sunny Day won't work while the Legendary Birds are held hostage."

"Can it, militia-boy," Misty spat.

Charizard shot a beam of light from his mouth as he flew straight up into the air. It parted the clouds and let an intense ray of sunlight escape through it, which blinded Tyranitar and made it stop throwing boulders temporarily.

"Now, Charizard! Dive down and use Fire Blast!"

Charizard roared in delight as he threw his head back, folding his wings against his body before plummeting like a scud missile straight down at Tyranitar. About a hundred feet from the ground he threw his head back again before thrusting it forwards and breathing out a white-hot wall of flames. The blast out-paced Charizard, striking Tyranitar on the head as it looked down at the ground, blinded by the sunlight. The force of it knocked it flat on its belly and scorched all the way down its back. Charizard pulled up at the last second and landed twenty feet away on the other side of the battlefield as the clouds moved back into place, blocking out the sunlight and bringing back the snow.

"Alright! Go Charizard!" Gary yelled excitedly.

"Time to finish it off!" Misty cheered. "Focus Blast!"

Charizard turned to face Tyranitar, who was still lying on the ground. It slowly and painfully got to its feet as Charizard waited. Once it was up, Charizard made a triangle from his claws, focusing hard. A beam of light formed at the centre of the triangle and Charizard thrust it towards Tyranitar, knocking it backwards several feet onto its back. This time it stayed down.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner!"

Charizard roared, shooting flames out into the sky in all directions in celebration. Gary sighed in relief as Misty came over all girly, jumping up and down and cheering.

"_Two Pokémon left. That's all Misty and Anders have to battle with now, and Charizard worked pretty hard dodging Tyranitar's brutal Rock Slide. Does Misty have what it takes to hold off Anders Stevensson's assault?"_

"Not against this," Anders said quietly, but still picked up by the mic. "Go, Blaziken!"

"Charizard won't have any trouble here!" Misty scoffed. "Wing attack!"

Charizard leapt into the air before spreading his wings and soaring towards Blaziken at speed. Anders was prepared though.

"Hi Jump Kick, Blaziken!"

Blaziken also launched into the air, and the two fire Pokémon flew towards each other. Charizard was the more agile though, and quickly spun around with wings outstretched as he reached Blaziken, hitting it in the back at it went past and sending it tumbling out of control through the air before landing awkwardly and sliding along the slushy battlefield, ending up in a pit that Tyranitar had caused by ripping boulders out of the ground.

"Quickly, Charizard! Seismic Toss!"

Charizard immediately took off, flying low and reaching down with his feet to grab Blaziken as he flew past. He angled up, flying straight up into the air, holding onto Blaziken tightly.

"Blaziken! Thunderpunch!"

Charizard roared in pain as he was hit, dropping Blaziken immediately and struggling to stay in the air. He managed it eventually, and didn't seem too badly hurt. He hung in the air, assessing Blaziken as it landed on its feet below.

"Charizard! Sky Attack!" Misty yelled confidently.

Charizard roared before retracting his wings and diving down again, straight at Blaziken below. Charizard's speed was impressive for such a heavy Pokémon, although not as fast as Anders' Pidgeot.

"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!"

Charizard continued on, unfazed by Anders' order.

"Charizard, pull up early and Flamethrower from behind!"

Anders' frowned as he figured out the implications of Misty's command. Charizard obeyed, pulling up just before Blaziken would have struck and continuing past before spreading his wings and using them as an airbrake. He used his slowing momentum to spin him around, and in one swift motion he blasted a powerful Flamethrower into Blaziken's back. Blaziken roared in pain and fell to its knees as Charizard landed, his arms folded arrogantly.

"It's not over yet, Charizard! Time to take it out!" Misty shouted in warning.

Charizard roared, shooting flames up into the air and stamping his feet in readiness.

"Wing Attack!"

Charizard took off again, racing towards Blaziken as fast as he could. Blaziken was on its feet, but was still facing the wrong way. Charizard prepared to strike, but Blaziken leapt into the air, dodging the blow.

"Double Kick, Blaziken!"

Blaziken came down directly on top of Charizard, stomping both feet into his head and sending him straight down into the ground. Charizard instinctively whipped his tail around and whacked Blaziken in the face with it, and the two fire Pokémon got back to their feet again. They were both pretty tired now, and both trainers knew it.

"Charizard's probably got one last big attack left in him," Gary told Misty. "But you won't get much more out of him."

"Yeah…you're right. I've gotta make this one count. Charizard! Fire Blast!" she cried.

"Blaziken, Flare Blitz!"

Blaziken's body set alight as it charged forwards. The stadium lit up as Blaziken's bright flames combined with Charizard's stunning Fire Blast. Blaziken charged straight at the Fire Blast attack, taking the full force and coming off second best. Fortunately, the heat of its own flames shielded it partially, enabling it to continue on despite being battered. It charged onwards at about half pace, breaking through Charizard's Fire Blast and striking him in the chest. Charizard was sent tumbling backwards and Blaziken bounced off, landing on his back.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your Pokémon!" the League official shouted, sounding even more excited. Misty wondered how many times he'd ever gotten to say that before.

"Well, you don't see that every day," Gary commented, his eyebrows raised.

"Charizard, return!" Misty shouted, probably unnecessarily, as she zapped Charizard back into his pokéball. "That was incredible, Charizard. I'm so proud of you. You really are the best."

Pikachu's cheeks sparked wildly as he leapt onto the podium barrier railing. He'd been watching Charizard's brave performance and was finally eager to crack some heads himself.

"I was gonna ask if you were ready, but I guess that sorta answers my question," Misty chuckled, and was taken aback when the whole crowd chuckled with her before realising that the mic had picked up what she said. She looked at the big screen, and saw that the camera was also aimed at her and Pikachu.

"Sometimes you forget how big this is, huh," Gary said. Misty turned around and nodded her agreement.

"I'm not used to commentators, and microphones, not to mention cameras, crowds and big screens. I like it, but yeah…you forget everyone's watching you sometimes."

"Don't worry about it," Gary smiled. "You're doing so well. Only one Pokémon left to beat, and you've got Pikachu at the helm. And guess what? Anders doesn't know that Pikachu is your most powerful."

Misty grinned at him, realising he was right. Anders had already played all his trump cards – he'd used Tyranitar, Blaziken and Pidgeot already. But she knew as well as Gary did that he would never leave himself lightly defended when it came down to one Pokémon. He might have used his trump cards, but that didn't mean he didn't still have a trick up his sleeve.

"_One Pokémon left! It's come right down to the wire here in Indigo Plateau! Both Misty Waterflower and Anders Stevensson have given it everything so far, and it's been dead even. You couldn't write this as a script! I need to sit down!"_

_Wow, even the announcer is losing his shit. I wish Ash and Brock were here to see this…they'd be so proud. I guess I better win in case I ever see them again. Hold on, Ritchie, James and Meowth. We're almost there. You're almost free…_

Pikachu leapt down off the podium, landing deftly on his feet as Anders released his final Pokémon. The red light of the pokéball flashed down onto the battlefield, revealing a Pokémon Misty never expected to see. A Raichu.

"_It's Raichu versus Pikachu for the final two Pokémon of the Jessie League Grand Final. Obviously Raichu has the power advantage here, and we've seen just how devastating it can be from Anders' previous matches. Will Pikachu be able to hold it off?"_

_Anders doesn't know that Pikachu's battled a Raichu before, and won,_ Misty smiled to herself. _Don't get ahead of yourself, Misty. The announcer just said that Raichu is devastatingly powerful._

"Alright Raichu, time to win this thing!" Anders shouted confidently. "Agility!"

Raichu sped off, becoming an orange blur as Pikachu's eyes darted left and right, trying to keep up.

"Oh man, that announcer was right!" Gary cried out in surprise. "That thing is so fast. I thought Pidgeot was fast, but this Raichu is on a totally different level."

_That's fine,_ Misty thought. _I'll just come up with something else it can't handle._

"Pikachu, Light Screen and Double Team!"

Pikachu emitted a little forcefield around himself as he split up into dozens of little Pikachus, but it was no good. Raichu ran straight through all of them, leaving Pikachu standing alone on the battlefield with Raichu running rings around him.

"That's it, Raichu! Nice work!" Anders cheered. "Now Thunderbolt that little Pikachu!"

"Pikachu!" Misty shouted. "You know what to do!"

A cloud of dust and grass kicked up where Pikachu was standing as Raichu blasted a crater into the ground. As the dust cleared, Pikachu was gone.

"What the…Raichu, be careful!" Anders warned in stunned surprise.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Misty cheered excitedly, spurred on by Pikachu's impressive display.

Pikachu appeared out of nowhere, having used his own Agility after escaping the Thunderbolt attack using the trick he'd learnt against Lieutenant Surge. Standing right behind Raichu, he spun around and whipped Raichu with his tail, knocking it several feet away. Raichu got back to his feet but looked surprised and a little dazed.

"Quick Attack, Pikachu!"

Pikachu charged at top speed, weaving left and right to disguise his approach, but Raichu was incredibly fast. It dodged Pikachu's attack like it already knew where Pikachu would be. Misty gasped.

"Man, that's fast!" she cried.

"Raichu, Thunderbolt it again!"

Pikachu was unprepared this time and took the full force of the attack. It knocked him dozens of feet backwards – such was the power of Raichu's abilities. Unfortunately for Anders, he forgot Pikachu had used Light Screen, and didn't take any damage.

"That was too close!" Gary said. "Nice work with the Light Screen, Mist!"

"Thanks, but you're right. That _was_ too close," she agreed.

"You can't use regular attacks unless you catch it by surprise," Gary surmised. "That Raichu is just too quick."

"But I _can't_ catch it by surprise," Misty whined. "It's too fast!"

"Raichu, hit it with another Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu's eyes bulged in horror as the attack sped towards him at lightspeed. He only just managed to spring up onto his tail to ground himself. Pikachu's instincts were good though, and he used Agility to speed off while the dust and grass puffed up where the Thunderbolt had struck.

"Not again!" Anders complained. "Where did it go?"

"Pika!" Pikachu announced, appearing right behind Raichu. "CHUUUUUU!"

Pikachu blasted Raichu with a full-force Thunderbolt attack, shooting Raichu across the arena. It skidded along the ground, tumbling into one of Tyranitar's craters and up the other side, launching it into the air before landing back on the ground with a soft thud.

"Raichu, get up, buddy!" Anders called out desperately.

Raichu got back to its feet, very dizzy and disoriented, but still able to battle. Anders breathed a sigh of relief as Misty ordered another attack.

"Pikachu, Thunder attack!"

Pikachu prepared himself, looking up into the sky as the clouds turned even darker. The snow stopped falling for a few moments and the crowd collectively gasped as the heavens crackled.

"CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu screamed as he shot a bolt of lightning into the sky. A split second later another lightning bolt flashed down out of the clouds, striking Raichu clean in the chest as it looked up at the last moment. The force of the impact smashed Raichu into the ground before bouncing back into the air again. It was out cold.

"Come on, Raichu, you gotta get up! Please, buddy! It's not over yet! Come ON!" Anders pleaded, but it was no use.

"Raichu is unable to battle. Pikachu and Misty are the winners!"

The crowd erupted in a frenzy. The roar was deafening. Gary let out a roar of his own, pumping a fist into the air before Misty jumped on him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and hugged him tight, squealing in delight and inadvertently smothering his face. He quickly lost his footing and the two of them collapsed on the podium. Gary lay on his back with Misty on top of him, and the two of them laughed outrageously before Misty scooped his head up in her arms and kissed him furiously. The kiss slowed and became more passionate as the cameras zoomed in, displaying the whole thing on the big screen.

As the podiums lowered they got to their feet again. Misty blushed as she realised she'd just kissed Gary in front of the whole world, but quickly got over it as it set in that she'd just won the Jessie League tournament. Pikachu slumped to the ground, laying exhausted on his back with a big, satisfied grin on his face as he took in the moment.

A man entered the arena then, dressed in a black suit with a pink tie. He was holding a giant trophy. He walked towards the centre of the arena, gesturing at Misty and Anders to follow him as a camera crew trudged along behind. One of the crew handed the man a microphone as they stopped in the middle of the battlefield.

"The winner of the inaugural Jessie League tournament," the man began, his voice echoing around the Indigo Stadium, "with one Pokémon left, is Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City!"

The crowd roared again as the man held Misty's hand up in the air in the standard victory pose. She'd established by then that the man was the announcer. He moved the mic away from his face as the crowd kept cheering.

"Anders, a few words?" he said, handing him the mic.

He took the mic, but didn't start speaking straight away. Misty felt a little bad. The guy was clearly devastated at losing. Trying to think of something to say when the loss was so fresh must have been heartbreaking.

"Um…first of all," he started, his voice breaking ever so slightly, "thanks to the Pokémon League for setting up this tournament at such short notice, and under such extreme circumstances. You've really done an amazing job here, despite everything that's going on at the moment.

"Secondly, thanks to Misty," he started to say, but was cut off by the crowd roaring in approval. "Thanks to Misty," he continued, "for such an incredible match. It really was one of the best battles I've ever seen, let alone been a part of. You're an amazing trainer, and I hope we get to do this again someday, maybe at a proper Pokémon League tournament."

He handed the mic back to the announcer.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Anders Stevensson of Lavaridge Town. Give him a round of applause," the announcer said, followed by a massive cheer from the crowd. "Now, I'll hand the mic over to the Jessie League Champion, Miss Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City!"

Misty took the mic, suddenly unsure of what to say. She knew she had to do the winner's thing, but she was so overwhelmed by everything that she forgot all the important stuff she still had to get to.

_I'll just go with the flow…_

"Thanks to Anders, you're an amazing trainer. If I'd been using my normal water Pokémon, I probably would have lost that battle. You're something special, and I know you'll go on to become a Pokémon Master someday. Then we can battle again.

"Thanks to everyone for braving the Rocket United goons to be here throughout the tournament. I know how hard it is to live in fear all the time. You don't know what it means to us trainers to have you all here supporting us in such huge numbers while your lives are all at risk every day."

The crowd roared in approval, settling down to a standing ovation. A tear ran down Misty's cheek as she realised what her own words really meant to everyone there, and what their approval meant to her. She suddenly remembered what she had to say.

"Now there's something I need to ask," she began. "I'm sure I'll probably be taken away by some Rocket grunt for saying this, but Jessie's deal was that I get traded for my friends if I won here today anyway. So here goes.

"We know where the Rocket United base is. We have a plan to stop them. Officer Jenny of Celadon City, Gary Oak and myself have worked hard to figure out all the details, but we can't do this alone. We need as much help as we can get to make this work. Rocket United have some incredibly strong Pokémon, but they can't stand up to a united effort by all of us if we work together! Please, I know we've asked a lot of you already. All of us trainers at this tournament have, just by you turning up here, not to mention all the people in the cities and towns of the world that are still occupied by Rocket United. But that's how I know there are a lot of brave, strong trainers out there who can help us out.

"The base is in Celadon City, and we're meeting there tonight at midnight. We can do this, I know we can, if we all work together! If you have transport, please, I beg you all, please help us! Bring your strongest Pokémon and join the fight! Tonight is the night that we take Rocket United down for good!"

Suddenly Misty's whole body stiffened up. Every muscle tensed and turned to flame, and a split second later she was out cold.


	10. Storming the Rockets - Part 1

"Right…" Gary started, not quite sure whether his leadership over the proceedings was necessarily the right choice. "We all know why we're here, and thanks for coming. This isn't just about saving Misty, this is about saving _everyone_."

Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, Erika, Anders and pretty much everyone else had all decided that Gary should lead the operation. He was arguably the most experienced and successful Pokémon trainer there, and along with Ash had thwarted countless plots by almost as many criminal groups. He never _wanted_ to get involved in stuff like that, he just always ended up in the middle of it. He'd spoken to Ash at length about all the little adventures he and his many travelling companions had been involved in and he wondered how he ever got to be as good a trainer as he was while always being thrown off track. He didn't realise it years ago when they were rivals, but he wondered if they would have perhaps been travelling companions themselves if he'd known.

Gary seemed self-obsessed and arrogant on the outside, but even Misty had grown to realise it was mostly a front. Inside, he was caring to a fault. He hated bullies and always found great pleasure in knocking them down a few rungs. And he actually hated the limelight, which was in stark contrast to the image he portrayed of himself when he first started his Pokémon journey. Misty knew it, and he figured that's why she liked him. He admired her too, for many of the same reasons.

Misty was never concerned with being in the limelight either. Gary liked that she was rough and tough on the outside and never afraid to get herself into a scrape, but inside she was really just a frightened young girl that wanted nothing more than somewhere to belong and someone to belong to. She could be extremely girly at times, despite her loud, tomboyish demeanour. Gary found it quite endearing, and had really grown to like her a lot. Of course, it helped that Ash wasn't around. He was never really sure how Ash felt about her, although there was always Serena too, and possibly Dawn and May. He'd never really spent much time around any of them, and although Ash mentioned them when relaying stories, he rarely spoke about their friendships.

"We haven't got much time," he continued. "We did kinda advertise where we were meeting live on international television, so I'm glad everyone got here a little early.

"This is an attack on Rocket headquarters. Nothing more, nothing less. What we're hoping to achieve here is no more than a distraction. The real operation is going on inside that building as we speak. Misty will be inside right now, probably thinking of ways to escape. That's where you come in, Pikachu."

Pikachu's ears fluttered as he heard Gary speaking his name. Alongside him were Wartortle and Bulbasaur, and they were each carrying another of Misty's pokéballs in their hands. Next to them stood one of Erika's most trusted spies, Anna. She'd been a trainer housed in the Celadon Gym for over ten years, and Erika assured everyone that no Amber-like situations would arise.

"Anna will take Pikachu, Wartortle and Bulbasaur to a ventilation duct on the side of the Rocket building, near where the Rocket grunts will be exiting from. They're gonna sneak around and find Misty and assist her in taking down Jessie. Our job is simply to make sure that no one sees Anna or the three musketeers. If they're seen, it's game over for Misty, and game over for the whole world.

"Erika's group will be made up of the remaining Celadon Spies as well as the Squirtle Squad, and their job will be to slow down or incapacitate as many Rocket grunts and their Pokémon as possible. They'll be laying traps between the building and the rest of the fighting. Pidgeot and the Pallet Pidgeys will be performing aerial strikes designed to corral the Rockets into the traps.

"And that's where everyone else comes in. I'll be leading the whole operation, doing my best to coordinate the attack groups. Anders Stevensson here, who I'm sure you all remember from the epic battle with Misty earlier today, will be leading the assault group. That's all of you guys," Gary said, pointing to all the volunteer trainers who had arrived to help out, of which there were hundreds – many, many more than anyone had predicted.

"For all those who don't know Anders, he's the leader of the Lavaridge Defenders and I'm sure you've all heard of them. They're responsible for kicking Rocket United completely out of Lavaridge, and they're the only ones in the whole world who've managed to do that. So this guy knows what he's doing. He's in charge of the assault group, as I said, and the assault group's role is to keep the Rocket grunts busy and preoccupied while Erika and Pidgeot do their thing. Remember, if _anyone_ sees Pikachu, Wartortle, Bulbasaur or Anna, it's game over. They _can't_ be seen by any Rocket United grunt.

"One last thing. This fight is going to be far from easy. I know there's a lot of you out there, and I'm very grateful to you all for turning up. We all are. But these Rocket grunts were able to almost defeat _Misty_ and _Anders_. They're _not_ pushovers, and they won't go down without a fight. Their Pokémon are _Shadow_ Pokémon, and they feel less pain, they have more endurance, they have no remorse, and a _lot_ more power than average Pokémon. Unless we have ten trainers for each grunt, there's no way we can win this in a straight fight. Remember, your job out there is _only_ to hold their attention. You're a diversion, that's all. If everything goes to plan then we won't have to take too much of a beating out there. Good luck, everyone. You know what to do."

Gary took a deep breath as everyone went their separate ways. Erika came over to him as he finished talking. She was dressed in camouflage, which is something Gary thought he'd never see. But somehow, being Erika, she managed to pull it off well and Gary even thought she looked pretty, in a hardass, smash-your-face-in kinda way.

"How did I do?" he asked her.

Erika smiled at him, brushing a bang away from her eyes. "I think you did exceptionally well. You're a born leader, Gary."

"I don't feel like one," he admitted. "This is so far out of my comfort zone. I just hope Misty's alright in there. All this will be for nothing if she isn't alright."

"You're too cute," Erika giggled. "You can disguise it all you want but you've got a huge thing for Misty. Don't worry, she'll be fine. She's the toughest girl I know. This operation is in the best hands I can think of."

Gary blushed a little. "Thanks, Erika. You're right, of course."

"I missed you," she winked at him. "It's great to have you back. I worried that when I saw you running off towards Veridian Forest that it would be the last time I ever saw you."

"If it wasn't for Misty saving my ass in Indigo Plateau, it probably would've been."

Erika stepped forwards, looking him right in the eyes. She stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm glad she did. I don't think I could do this without you. Everyone here respects you, you know. Whether you want it or not, you're a leader."

Gary laughed nervously. Erika turned and walked off towards the first flank where she'd be building traps, reaching back and taking his hand as she did. She turned around again and smiled up at him, before letting go of his hand and gracefully spinning around on her heels like a dancer. As she walked off Gary took another deep breath before he marched off to the front of the Rocket building to meet with Anders.

"She's got a thing for you, man," Anders grinned. "I always wondered whether Erika was as pretty in person. Even in army camo, she's adorable."

"Yeah, she's a beautiful girl," Gary agreed, feeling a little awkward.

"You're worried about Misty, huh."

Gary looked up at him suddenly, then looked away again as he struggled to think of the right words.

"Don't be," Anders assured him. "That's a girl that can really take care of herself. She's tough as nails."

"I know," Gary smiled. "I'm sure she'll be fine. But we have to give her the best advantage we can out here. We've gotta hold these guys off, draw them out, or she's toast."

"Leave it to me, man," Anders grinned. "Beating Rockets is what I do best."

"We'll bury the bastards just like you did at Lavaridge," Gary grinned back at him.

* * *

Gary watched on as Erika's legions of grass Pokémon tore up the lawn and the dirt around the Rocket building. They looked like farming Pokémon preparing the ground for new crops as they used their vines to shred the earth. Erika then commanded the Squirtle Squad to saturate the ground with Water Gun, creating deep, muddy trenches, hidden by the darkness of the surrounding forest. She seemed to know exactly what to do, and Gary was glad she'd volunteered. She set up traps using the trees to create giant sticky nets designed to slow down, if not catch the Rockets' Pokémon. The trenches would be used to prevent the onslaught of Rollout-using Golem. She was an expert, and the traps sprung up quickly and efficiently.

_And not a moment too soon,_ Gary thought as the first wave of Rocket grunts stepped foot outside their headquarters.

"So, you've all come to die," the Rocket Squad Leader mocked. "How nice of you to gather all in one place for us."

"Come and get it!" Gary yelled. "Trainers, this is the battle of your lives! Release your Pokémon!"

The night sky erupted in a haze of red as the hundreds of trainers chose their battling Pokémon. Gary counted as least a hundred different Pokémon. The problem was, the Rockets were still filing out of the building, and he counted a whole heap more of them. The night sky again flashed red as they released their own Shadow Pokémon. They'd organised themselves into groups, with all the Golem arranged in the centre, the Electivire at the back and several other types forming the flanks.

_That makes things a little easier for us,_ Gary grinned to himself.

He watched as Officer Jenny marched to the front of the attack group, followed by dozens of Arcanine. They split along the middle and formed the flanks, staring down the Rockets' Vileplume.

"Golems, Rollout!" the Rocket leader yelled.

_Just like we planned, _Gary grinned again.

And the plan worked perfectly. The many Rocket United Golems rolled forward at a tremendous speed, and straight into the muddy trenches Erika's group had dug, where they quickly spun themselves so deep into it they couldn't get back out again. Pidgeot and the Pallet Pidgeys began swooping down, driving the Vileplume straight towards Jenny's Arcanine, where they were blasted with Flamethrowers. The Vileplumes and Golems were effectively removed from the giant battle.

That's when the first hiccup started. The Electivires at the back of the Rockets started Thunderbolting the Pidgeys and Pidgeottos. A few fell from the sky, where they were zapped some more as they lay prone on the ground. Pidgeot shrieked in anger, disregarding his post and turning to attack the Electivires.

"Pidgeot, stop!" Gary yelled. "I'll take care of them! You have a job to do!"

Pidgeot huffed, but obeyed. He went back to swooping the Rockets' Pokémon, corralling them towards Erika's traps. Gary took out a walkie-talkie as he thought of a way to counteract the Rockets' electric attacks.

"Erika, I need some support," he said as calmly as he could. "How are those traps turning out?"

"_We're nearly done here. I can get the Squirtle Squad to come help–"_

"Not the Squirtle Squad," Gary cut her off. "It's the Rockets' Electivires. They're zapping all the Pallet Pidgeys out of the sky. We need grass support!"

"_Okay, hold tight. We're on our way. We'll come around the back."_

Gary took another deep breath as he saw Anders' Pidgeot swooping down to grab a Vileplume, then letting go as it sped off, launching it miles away from the action. He grabbed Umbreon's pokéball and activated it.

"Umbreon, run right into the middle of that group of Rocket Shadow Pokémon and blast them all with Dark Pulse. I need you to zip around between them as best as you can, just keep injuring them. It'll weaken them up enough for the rest of us to get a few good shots in."

Umbreon nodded, then disappeared into the mix of Shadow Pokémon. Gary saw a few of them fall as Umbreon attacked, and it definitely seemed to be slowing them down. Suddenly a huge crash came from ahead of him, off to the side. He turned to look and saw a tree come down right on top of a group of Raticates.

"_Well that's one trap that works pretty well," _Erika commented via radio.

"Nice work," Gary responded. "But they're getting back up."

Sure enough, the tree shifted as the Raticates moved it out of the way, getting back up and attacking the trees, trying to climb them but they kept getting knocked back down again. Gary knew it was the Celadon Spies and their Pokémon. Suddenly his radio went off again.

"_Gary, it's Anna. The diversion worked perfectly. Pikachu and the others are inside the base. I'm coming around behind the Rockets to attack those Electivires now."_

"Perfect, Anna," Gary answered. "Don't attack before the others get there though. I don't want you getting hurt."

"_No problem,_" she said, just as Gary caught a glimpse of the Squirtle Squad, some of the Celadon Spies and their Pokémon sneaking around the back.

A few moments later the Thunderbolt attacks ceased, and the Pallet Pidgeys ramped up their divebombing.

"_Electivires are out of action for the moment,"_ Anna said. _"But it won't last forever. The Squirtle Squad are sneaking through the Rocket group now, softening up the ground. There's an Umbreon in there too. Yours?"_

"Yes," Gary replied. "Tell it to use Sand-Attack to help muddy the ground up a bit."

"_You got it."_

Suddenly he was struck in the side of the face, and fell to the ground. He quickly rolled onto his side and got back up, just in time to avoid another punch. He looked up and saw the Rocket leader.

"So you're the guy in charge, huh?" the Rocket leader smirked. "What happened to your girlfriend, huh? Oh that's right, she's been captured. By _us_. How does it feel, little boy?"

"Like it's time for revenge," Gary snapped.

"What are you gonna do?" he mocked. "Run to your little girlfriend? She can't help you. Can't you hear her screaming in there? She's being tortured right now. She'll die in there. And there ain't a damn thing you can do to stop it."

Gary felt rage rising to the surface. He reared his fist back and launched it at the Rocket leader's face, but he just caught it in his big hand and started laughing.

"She's a pretty girl," the Rocket leader kept mocking. "I was a little disappointed I didn't get to torture her myself. But she's in good hands. You should see the guy they've got to do it. He'll split her right open before he's done with her."

Gary roared in anger and swung his other fist, striking the Rocket in the face as hard as he could, but it didn't seem to faze him at all. Gary seethed, trying to think of a new plan.

"If she's naked when you finally find her body, at least now you'll know why," the Rocket laughed.

"I'll kill you," Gary spat through clenched teeth. "I'll kill you all. You touch her, you _die_. Understand, fucker? I'll fucking kill you!"

"Nuh-uh," he kept mocking, grabbing Gary's other wrist. "If I can do this to you, imagine what your scared, skinny little girlfriend is going through, all tied up and pathetic."

He fell forwards suddenly, knocking Gary over. Gary quickly got back to his feet as Umbreon leapt to his side.

"Nice one, buddy," he chuckled. "Give this son of a bitch a Bite attack."

Umbreon leapt forward and latched onto the Rockets' hand, drawing blood instantly. The Rocket leader screamed in pain as he tried to shake Umbreon off, but it just made it worse. Umbreon's teeth tore into his flesh more and more as he desperately tried to shake and pry him off.

"Hypno! Get this thing offa me!"

Umbreon let go as soon as the Hypno appeared, and started snarling at it. The Rocket leader got to his feet and grabbed his injured hand.

"You'll pay for that," he grumbled. "Hypno, Psychic attack!"

"Umbreon, Dark Pulse!"

Umbreon stood his ground as the Psychic attack failed to have any effect. The Dark Pulse fanned out in a powerful wave that knocked both Hypno and Rocket to the ground and held them there.

"_Gary, something's happened," _Erika said via radio. _"The Rockets are all retreating back to the base. You've got to come quickly!"_

Gary turned to look as Umbreon kept up the Dark Pulse attack, and flinched as the top of the building was blown completely apart.

_Misty._

His first thought was that the roof had come down and now it was raining concrete all over her head. A screech filled the air, followed by a bright reddish glow as Moltres swooped down on the ruined Rocket headquarters, scooping someone up in its talons before flying off again.

"Quickly!" he heard Officer Jenny say into her police radio. "I want every resource we have tracing that Moltres! Don't let it out of your sight!"

He heard laughing from behind him, and turned around again to see the Rocket leader laughing hysterically as he got back to his feet, still clutching his injured hand.

"You're finished now," he grinned. "That was Jessie, and if she's leaving on Moltres then that can only mean one thing."

"And what might that be?" Gary asked aggressively as he stomped his way over to him.

"Articuno's _ours_ now. You're all fucked. All of you! Jessie's gonna take this whole miserable planet now."

"Yeah, well we'll see about that," Gary muttered, doubts forming in his mind even as he spoke.

"You know it, don't you?" the Rocket leader laughed some more. "I can see it in your eyes. You _know_ you're about to lose. And guess what? When you lose, the whole planet loses with you."

"You should be more worried about yourself," Officer Jenny snapped, before standing on his torso. The Rocket leader groaned loudly in pain and rolled over onto his front. Jenny knelt down, digging her knee into the back of his neck as she put his wrists in cuffs.

"Hey! Easy on the wrist!" he complained. "That kid's Umbreon bit the crap outta me."

"Shame he didn't let it kill you," Jenny retorted. "But at least this way I get to have a little fun."

She got to her feet again, sinking her foot into his neck as she did, and standing on his injured wrist with the other. He grunted loudly and complained some more, but this just made Jenny laugh.

"Not so tough now, are ya? You're just a punk looking for trouble, like all the other Rockets."

Gary laughed as Jenny ground her foot into his wrist, making him squirm and shout.

"Did ya have to wear heels?" he whinged.

"Aww, does it hurt?" she mocked.

"Um, Gary?" a small voice said from nearby. He turned to see that it was Erika. "You're not going to believe this."

"What is it?" he asked, suddenly even more worried.

"I think you guys better come with me."


	11. Storming the Rockets - Part 2

Misty wasn't sure if she was awake or asleep at first. It was the kind of haze that felt like time was skewed, like things were moving a lot quicker than she felt like they were. She heard a male voice, but wasn't sure if it was addressing her or someone else. She started panicking as she realised she didn't know where she was, couldn't remember anything and couldn't see properly. As the panic set in, time began speeding up again and she started to get her memory back along with her sight. She still had no idea where she was though.

"A shame you woke up so soon, there are plenty of things I would have enjoyed doing while you were sleeping."

_Oh my GOD that's creepy._

Her wrists started to hurt so she looked up at them, quickly realising that they were tied together, strung up from a small ceiling fixture that probably used to hang a chandelier of some sort. Her toes touched the floor, but not her heels, so she was effectively hanging. Her wrists burned painfully, so she figured she'd been hanging like this for some time now.

She looked back down again, instantly recognising her captor as Desterji, the man she'd beaten fairly easily in Round 2 of the Jessie League tournament. The room itself was bare, with plain carpeted floors and no furniture, not even a table or a chair. She frowned angrily, concerned that Desterji had something awful in mind for her.

"What the hell am I doing here?" she asked, practically spitting the words out of her mouth.

Desterji smiled back at her. "Jessie heard you making your little speech after winning the tournament. She decided you were a liability that would be best kept away from the public."

"Afraid I was becoming too much of a threat?"

Desterji frowned. "Hardly. Our plan is moving along nicely, regardless of your presence. You're simply a radical, an unpredictable annoyance. Jessie thought you'd keep things interesting, but then she got bored of you and now here you are."

"That's a pretty lame excuse," Misty retorted. "But I don't care anyway. I've got my own plan, and _it's_ moving along nicely as well."

Desterji laughed. "You can barely touch the ground. Some plan you've got."

Misty laughed along with him sarcastically. "I can tell you've got some weird ideas about what you're gonna do with me. Probably some sort of sexual assault or rape, given that you hate being beaten by a woman so much. So I'm gonna make this short. I hope you don't mind."

Desterji laughed even harder. "_You're_ gonna make this short? What are you gonna do? Insult me to death? Bring it on, little girl. I wanna see what you can do while you're hanging from the fucking roof."

"Let me ask you something first," Misty said. "Do you know a girl named Amber?"

"Yeah, she's one of ours," he answered. "I heard she fooled you pretty easily, had you wrapped around her finger."

Misty grinned. "I was definitely wrapped around her in the end, but not her finger. She mustn't like you very much, or she would have told you to tie my ankles as well."

"Huh?" Desterji muttered, totally confused. He looked down at her ankles to see what she was talking about, just as Misty reached up and grabbed hold of the rope. She swung herself up and snatched Desterji's neck between her thighs, shuffling forwards until her crotch was pressed hard up against him.

She crossed her ankles and straightened her legs out as Desterji's hands shot up, making a slapping sound on her tight leather pants. He had almost nothing to grab at though, as he was right in the fulcrum of her legs. Misty had all the leverage and the strength, and there was nothing Desterji could do about it. He grabbed desperately at her upper thighs, using every ounce of strength he had to try and pry them away from his neck, but he couldn't get them to budge even the slightest bit. He grunted in annoyance.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, little girl," he quipped.

"Okay," she replied nonchalantly, then started squeezing.

Desterji's face quickly turned a deep shade of red and his eyes bulged as Misty's thighs crushed the sides of his neck. His annoyed grunts turned into panicked cries as his awareness began to narrow, his consciousness wavering. He ceased trying to pry her thighs apart and started trying to push them over his head, but Misty was locked on tight. She giggled as she looked down her body at his reddening face, but Desterji barely even noticed. Her thighs wrapped tightly around his neck had become his whole world as he lost all control over his consciousness.

"Stpp…plzzz…" was all he managed to say as Misty's inner thighs dug into his neck, forcing his jaw shut.

"I'm not even trying," she mocked. "You're not very tough, are you?"

Desterji was too focused on staying awake now to even get angry about her insults. Misty squeezed a tiny bit tighter, and his hands completely stopped pushing and prying. With all his willpower and energy dedicated solely to staying awake, all he could manage now was to rest his hands on her hips. Tears streamed down his dark red face and he moaned softly as the reality set in that he was completely at the mercy of this thin, attractive eighteen year-old girl. Suddenly Misty stopped squeezing, and his face slowly returned to its natural colour as his consciousness started becoming available to him again. Immediately his hands shifted to the top of her thighs again and he began trying to pry them apart once more. She maintained the hold though, and Desterji remained a helpless captive between her legs.

"I just thought I'd tell you that I'm gonna squeeze you out now," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "When you wake up you'll be tied up, and I'll be long gone. You better hope I find Jessie before she finds you, or you're gonna wish you were still unconscious."

"No! Wait! _WAIT!"_ he pleaded desperately, genuinely terrified, but Misty totally ignored him.

"Nighty night," she said in her sweetest, cutest voice, then re-crossed her ankles and straightened her legs out. Desterji's eyes bulged again, the veins in his forehead popped out and his face almost instantly turned purple-red as Misty tightly clenched her thighs and butt. Her knees touched as she squeezed, and Desterji was out cold before she'd even gotten close to squeezing as tightly as she could have. His body went completely limp, his hands sliding off her leather-clad thighs moments before his whole body became dead weight. His legs gave way and he slumped to the ground, swivelling on his toes as Misty's incredibly tight grip on his neck held him off the ground.

Her wrists started burning painfully as the ropes intensified with the added weight of Desterji, but she could feel the ceiling fixture giving way. A few seconds later it came completely free and the two of them fell to the ground. Misty lay on her side, Desterji's neck still firmly wedged in at the top of her thighs as she used her teeth to untie the ropes. It took a few tries, but she eventually managed to get free. She rubbed her wrists in relief, frowning at the red indentation where the ropes had cut in.

She was still squeezing Desterji's neck with the same intensity she'd used to squeeze him unconscious, knowing that the longer she held it, the longer he'd be out for. She didn't want to kill him, but she needed to make sure he wouldn't wake up while she was making her escape. She quickly rolled onto her back, her thighs pressing deeply into the sides of his neck under his jawline, his chin mashed into her crotch forcing his head up on an acute angle as he lay face-down. His face grew redder and darker, pressed against her lower abdomen as she leaned forwards to grab his wrists, unwittingly squeezing slightly tighter. She used the rope to tie his wrists together, then leaned back to get one last look at his face.

She smirked as she looked down her body at his now purple face once more, then slowly stopped squeezing, unwrapping her thighs from around his neck, making a peeling sound as her tight leather pants came away from his overheated skin. She let his head fall to the floor, silently hoping that his nose was broken on impact, but not really caring too much.

_Well, that was easy,_ she thought to herself. _Now to find Jessie and Pikachu._

She'd given her pokéballs to Gary moments before making her speech, and she knew they'd be breaking in to try and find her. Unfortunately, the plan was for them to break into her cell and free her, but since they never arrived she took escaping into her own hands. She wasn't inconvenienced by having to do it – after all, it gave her great satisfaction to squeeze Desterji unconscious after what he'd done.

_The only thing better will be knowing that he's gonna get in trouble for it,_ she grinned to herself, planning on telling Jessie about his failure personally.

She opened the door, Desterji still lying unconscious and red-faced on the floor, and stepped through. She entered a corridor, and luckily for her the room she was kept in was at the end of it.

_One way to go…that makes things a bit easier._

She casually walked off, her knee-high, block-heeled leather boots 'borrowed' from Amber clopping conspicuously with each step.

_If I'd known I wouldn't have time to change, I would have worn my high tops. And my shorts…it's quite hot in here._

Just as she reached the end of the corridor – and a door helpfully marked with a sign that read 'Warehouse' – another door to the left suddenly opened, almost hitting her. A female Rocket United grunt stepped through, an in a bit of a hurry. She was dressed in full Rocket United uniform, from the very tight black leather micro-miniskirt, to the undersized black crop top, to the thigh-high black leather boots. She jumped in fright as she saw Misty, then her eyes bulged as she realised who she was.

"Misty?" she cried out in surprise. "I was about to come and see you."

"Amber," Misty replied flatly. "Why? So you could have your turn torturing me?"

"No," she answered, taken aback. "It's not like that at all, I swear–"

Misty grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall angrily, and Amber didn't put up any resistance, which Misty immediately found a little strange. She loosened her grip, starting to doubt her initial reaction.

"Tell me then," she demanded, aggressively but in a calm voice.

"When I came back here, Jessie already knew I'd failed my mission," Amber explained. "She locked me up and tortured me. She let the men come in and do terrible things to me…"

She started sobbing as she appeared to remember what had happened. Misty was skeptical, given how readily she assaulted her back in Indigo Plateau, but she _did_ seem genuine enough.

"Why would she do that?" Misty asked, not yet convinced. "You're not the first Rocket to fail at your job, Jessie herself has managed to keep her job for years despite failing at pretty much everything she's ever done."

"Because she _hates_ you, Misty," Amber sobbed, raising her voice slightly. "She hates you so much more than you can ever understand. She blames you for _everything_. She said you corrupted me, that I let you go. That's the only thing she got right."

"What?" Misty spat. "You expect me to believe that? You'll knock me out and take me to her the moment I turn my back."

"No! I swear!" Amber pleaded. "Please listen to me! I really did start to like you, it was so hard to betray you, the hardest thing I've ever done! I didn't fully understand it until Jessie locked me up."

"Liar!" Misty shouted, squeezing her throat a little tighter. Amber's hands grabbed at her wrist defensively, but didn't try to pull it away. "You convinced me to keep my pokéballs back at your place! You're so full of shit! You befriended me, you almost started a _relationship_ with me, then you betrayed me! And now you're _lying_ to me! Fuck, Amber. How can you be so cold?"

"N – no! I swr…plzz…Mssty…" Amber spluttered.

Misty was seeing red now as she remembered all the things Amber did. Amber's face began to darken, and she coughed and sputtered as Misty strangled her slowly. She tapped her wrist with increasing speed and desperation as Misty's grip got tighter, pleading as best as she could for her to stop. Amber started pointing to her own wrist then, and Misty noticed they were red and swollen just like her own. She let her go, and Amber doubled over as she got her breath back.

"You weren't lying…" Misty said softly.

"Here, I'll show you! All these rooms are torture rooms. They tie you up by your wrists and do whatever they want with you. They're mostly filled with people who resist Rocket United, but they also get used a lot on Rocket United people who try to leave or betray. I knew they'd do that to me too, so I got scared."

She opened the door to the room, and it had a ceiling fixture just like the one Misty had been tied to. There was even a Rocket grunt on the floor, his hands tied behind his back, and he looked slightly dazed.

"There you are, you stupid bitch!" he yelled. "You're so dead now, Jessie's gonna tear you apart when she finds you! She's – oh, she was right! You're in league with that redheaded twerp!"

Misty waved and smiled sweetly at him, and it just made him angrier.

"When I get out of here I'm gonna cave your goddamn head in! I'll pulverise you, you little bitch!"

"I squeezed his neck with my legs, just like you did to me," she explained. "It took me a few goes to get the technique right, but I got there in the end. It works really well, but I wish I wasn't wearing a skirt."

"I did the same thing a few minutes ago when I escaped from my room," Misty told her. She turned to the Rocket grunt. "Jessie'll be pretty mad when she finds out you let a defenceless girl beat you up and escape."

The Rocket grunt's face flushed with deep embarrassment, so he kept shouting.

"I'll kill you both! No one finds out about this, you hear me?! Or you're both dead! _Dead!_"

Misty rolled her eyes at him, then shut the door and turned back to Amber.

"You really weren't lying."

Amber shook her head and smiled. "I'm so, so sorry for the awful things I did. I wanna make it up to you. You showed me how sweet people could be, and how nice a normal life could be. I've never had that before…the whole reason I joined Team Rocket in the first place was because I've had a crappy life, and being bad seemed like a natural fit. They let me do the things I kinda always did anyway, only I got paid for it, and with commission. Being with you for those few days was the first time I've ever grown close to anyone, and the first time I ever felt bad about the stuff I'd done."

Misty looked down, then back up at Amber's face again.

"You know I don't trust you, right?"

Amber smiled sweetly at her. "Of course, I totally understand. I wasn't even expecting you to give me _this_ much time. I've been running this scenario over and over in my head since I was locked up. You have no idea how happy you're making me just by not killing me."

Misty looked down again, and Amber gently lifted her chin.

"Misty…thank you. Thank you for not killing me. I promise I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win your trust back. I know I don't deserve it after what I did, but you even being here with me now is giving me hope. I wanna show you that I can be yours again."

She gently cupped Misty's face in her hands, tears welling and slowly running down her cheeks as the emotion of her promise overwhelmed her. Misty gently lowered Amber's hands, so Amber kissed her softly on the cheek.

"You help me stop Rocket United, and we'll see about forgiving you," she said.

Amber nodded, an elated smile forming as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Of course! You wanna find Jessie, right? It's this way, I'll lead so you can see I'm not up to anything."

Misty had to admit to herself that Amber _did_ seem properly genuine, although she was still half-expecting betrayal at any moment. Amber _was_ a spy, after all, and she was good enough at it to totally fool her last time.

She led Misty through the 'Warehouse' door, through another corridor with only two doors along it, one which said 'To Game Corner', the other with 'HQ' written in black marker pen, to another door that also read 'Warehouse'. She stopped at the door and turned around to face Misty.

"This is it," she whispered. "Through there is where Jessie's preparing the last phase of her plan. I haven't been in there since I was a regular grunt in the old Team Rocket, but I've heard whispers from the other Rockets that it's been off-limits for some time now. Are you ready? There's no going back after this."

"Not for you either," Misty reminded her.

"I know," Amber whispered back. "I'm doing the right thing this time. I might die in there, but at least I'll be dying for a good cause."

She took a deep breath and opened the door. She stormed in, followed by Misty, confidently strutting through a massive warehouse partially hidden beneath Celadon City, partially above ground. To their right was a huge machine. It was a complex looking thing, about thirty feet high, with what looked like a giant shower head sticking out of the top. It had an interface complete with computer keyboard, and a massive power cable running out of the back of it. The rest was too complex for Misty, and she didn't recognise any of it. But she knew what it was instantly.

"It's the evolution machine!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, Misty…look over there…I had no idea…" Amber said softly and with despair drenching her voice.

Misty turned around and saw Jessie standing on an upper level. She was still dressed in the same skirt-suit outfit she wore during her broadcasts. It was all black, and the skirt was obscenely short and tight. Misty assumed it was Jessie's idea of dressing conservative. Behind her were six captives, each strung up against the warehouse wall and gagged. There were five humans and a Pokémon, and Misty recognised all of them.

"I wasn't expecting you to escape, but I'm not surprised to see you both here together," Jessie crowed angrily. "You're as stupid as you are useless, Amber. To think I gave you another chance to redeem yourself after your utter failure, only to have you betray me again. I don't know why I bother trusting anyone anymore."

"You locked me up and had me tortured for _days!_" Amber yelled bitterly. "What the hell kind of second chance is _that?_"

Misty was dumbstruck. She didn't hear Jessie speaking to Amber, and she didn't hear Amber yelling in response. She stared in awe at the captives, unable to process the information her eyes were supplying.

"Ash…Brock…" she muttered, almost trance-like.

"Yes! It's a big reunion. Isn't that wonderful?" Jessie cackled. "You can all die here together."

She noticed Misty had started to cry a little at the sight of her oldest friends, and grinned as the potential hit home.

"A little sad, twerp?" she mocked. "Aren't you happy to see all your friends? Oh, that's right, you thought they'd gone on a big self-discovery trip by themselves, didn't you? I'm so sorry about that," she added sarcastically. "At least you know they didn't abandon you."

"All this time…" Misty sobbed.

Along with Ash and Brock, Jessie also had James, Ritchie, Meowth and Giovanni held captive along with them. Things were starting to make sense to Misty now, and she began to work out how Jessie had become so powerful so quickly.

"That's Giovanni, isn't it?" Amber asked her. "The old Team Rocket head honcho."

"Yeah, that's him," Misty confirmed. "She must have kept him alive as some sort of insurance."

"Well now that you're here, I may as well tell you," Jessie said in her irritating sing-song voice, casually pacing back and forth, her high heels clopping noisily as she stepped. "Giovanni pays for my expenses, and he gives me something to beat the shit out of after a bad day. He's much more valuable to me alive than dead. Besides, since everyone in Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua and all the rest thought _he'd_ been the one to unify them all, then willingly stepped down afterwards, it made a mutiny much more unlikely. They think he still works here, and I get access to his bank accounts and resources. It's a win-win for me.

"As for your twerpy friends, I had them captured not long after I assumed control over the crime teams. They would have proved somewhat troublesome had I left them alone. I mean, look what a pain in the ass _you've_ become, right? The short twerp actually has some talent too, so he would have been especially dangerous. If _he_ was after me, no doubt he would have stopped me by now. But you? You're as pathetic as Amber is. You deserve each other."

Misty balled her fists and growled angrily under her breath as she listened. Jessie leaned over a rail, her signature long crimson hair draping gracefully over her shoulders. She crossed her legs as she stood, her tight, stiff miniskirt almost making the manoeuvre impossible. She snorted at Misty and Amber as the two girls became angrier and angrier.

"You really are a horrible, desperate old hag," Misty shouted up at her.

"Desperate? _Hag?!_ How dare you!" Jessie scowled, turning around and stomping towards the railing. "I'm only thirty-two!"

"Yeah, and you look _fifty_-two!" Misty retorted. "At least James and Meowth had the balls to turn their backs on you. They became honest. You just kept being the same, pathetic girl trapped in a wrinkly body."

Jessie's face turned red as fury boiled up inside her. She grabbed hold of the railing and growled loudly and angrily down at the two girls.

"That's _IT!_" she screamed. "Time for you to die! I've had all I can take of your obnoxious abuse! It's people like you that remind me why I'm doing all this in the first place!"

She picked up a walkie-talkie and held it up to her ear.

"Bring me some big Pokémon. Something I can use to crush these twerps!" she ordered angrily.

Almost immediately a Rocket grunt burst into the warehouse holding six Pokéballs. Jessie angrily snatched each one and put them in the belt she was wearing.

_Come on, Pikachu. Where are you?_

"You don't stand a chance against me, Jessie," Misty taunted. "You've never beaten me before, and I'm not about to lose now. I won your stupid tournament, and I beat all your henchmen."

"Yes, but my henchmen don't have the resources I've got," Jessie grinned. "Anyway, that's all a moot point. You're unarmed. Unless you were cleverly hiding your Pokémon up your pert little ass along with your talent, I'd say I've won this little game."

"Pika!"

Everyone turned around simultaneously as Pikachu, Wartortle and Bulbasaur jumped down out of the ventilation duct, carrying Misty's other three pokéballs as well as their own. Ash tried to cry out in glee, but only managed a muffled mumble.

"Chu…" Pikachu said sadly as he noticed Ash and Brock strung up against the wall, but then he saw Jessie and sparks began to shoot out of his electric sacs.

"Saur!" Bulbasaur growled angrily as he too noticed Ash.

"You've won _nothing_, Jessie!" Misty smirked.

"The only thing you could win is an award for most inappropriately dressed ugly old cougar," Amber added.

"_Cougar?!_" Jessie fumed. "I'll crush the both of you like the Weedle that you are!"

Jessie was at boiling point now; she looked as though steam was about to burst out of her ears.

"Are we upsetting you, Jessie?" Misty giggled. "Because if we are, that's sort of the point."

"When I take control of the world, I'm gonna keep you alive so I can make you suffer for the rest of your miserable life! You'll wish you were _dead_ when I'm through with you, twerp!"

She threw down a pokéball, releasing a Rhyperior. It spun its drill and stomped angrily towards Misty.

"That's more like it," she grinned as Wartortle confidently stepped up. "Let's see what you've got."

"I'm going to enjoy this," Jessie said, then cackled loudly, filling the warehouse with her witch-like laughter as Amber quietly slipped away without anyone noticing.


	12. The Madness Of Jessie

"Wartortle! Bubblebeam!" Misty commanded.

Wartortle obliged confidently, a smirk forming on his face moments before the powerful beam shot out at supersonic speed towards Rhyperior. It struck it in the neck, sending it flying a few feet backwards and landing with a loud _thud _that shook the warehouse. Jessie growled angrily at both Misty and Rhyperior, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the railing tight with frustration.

"You stupid horned idiot! You have to dodge that sort of thing!" she yelled. "Get over there and Stomp that little squirt!"

Rhyperior's eyes glowed red as it got to its feet and charged at Wartortle, each step reverberating throughout the warehouse and registering a small amount on the Richter scale. Wartortle grinned, standing his ground unflinchingly.

"Alright Wartortle, give it a Water Gun!" Misty yelled.

Wartortle braced himself, balling his fists before letting out a thick, powerful blast of water that knocked Rhyperior off its feet again.

"Don't let up, Wartortle!" Misty said excitedly. "Blow it away with a Hydro Pump!"

Wartortle's head disappeared into his shell as he aimed himself at Rhyperior's prone body on the ground. A split second later a massive, gushing blast shot out, four times thicker than his previous Water Gun. Rhyperior sat up just in time to receive the full force of the attack, which sent him careering across the warehouse floor and into the evolution machine with a loud _crash_. Jessie winced.

"Watch where you're going, you useless fool!" she screamed. "I spent a lot of Giovanni's money stealing that thing! It's irreplaceable!"

Rhyperior didn't hear a word of it – it was out cold.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jessie roared.

"It can't hear you, moron," Misty mocked, one corner of her mouth curled up in amusement. "You're just as bad at Pokémon battling as you were years ago. Haven't you learnt anything in all this time?"

Jessie was so angry now that she couldn't respond to Misty's insult at all. Her face was bright red, and all she could manage was a loud, frustrated scream as she hurled another pokéball over the railing. She was so furious she even forgot to recall Rhyperior, or even check what Pokémon she was sending out.

"Uh, Boss?" the grunt who had given her the pokéballs said cautiously.

"_WHAT!"_ she roared at him.

"You just threw Rhyperior's empty pokéball down there."

She roared again, grabbing at her hair and tearing out a few strands as she struggled to release enough frustration. She twisted her body towards the grunt and drew her arm back, then suddenly whacked him in the back as hard as she could, sending him toppling over the railing. Misty watched in horror as the grunt landed awkwardly on his head. His body mangled itself limply as he hit the hard concrete floor, and he didn't move. Misty rushed over to check if he was alright, turning him over onto his back and checking for a pulse. She couldn't find one, and quickly realised the fall had broken his neck. Jessie had killed him. She knelt down next to the deceased grunt, a tear forming in each eye as she stared in open-mouthed disbelief at what had just happened.

"_IDIOTS! YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS!" _Jessie screeched.

Misty stood up, quickly becoming incredibly angry. She stared up at Jessie, her mixture of intense sadness and anger making forming words increasingly difficult. She took a few moments to gather herself up as Jessie continued screaming.

"How could you do that?" Misty asked, relatively calmly considering how she currently felt. "You just murdered your own lackey! He was just trying to help you, and you _killed_ him! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you completely insane?"

Jessie's chest heaved as gulped down massive chunks of oxygen after her explosive ranting. She glared down at Misty.

"What I do is _NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, TWERP!" _she yelled. "These people, these _insects_, they're _nothing!_ Every stinking person on this whole damn planet is responsible for this!"

"You did this yourself!" Misty yelled back in disbelief. "Now you're blaming everyone else?!"

"You couldn't possibly understand! You, with your privileged upbringing, and your Cerulean Gym, your pretty face and your perfect body, your fame and fortune…what could you _possibly _understand about _me?!"_

This made Misty even madder. But before she could get a word in, Jessie's rant continued.

"I grew up in total squalor! I had _nothing!_ My parents gave me nothing, we had no money, it was all I could do to join Team Rocket. I even failed at _that!_ Because of _these_ idiots!"

She stomped noisily over to James and Meowth, first slapping them hard in the face, then punching them. James' eyes glared in hatred at her as she continued pummelling him.

"STOP IT!" Misty screamed.

"Or _WHAT_?" Jessie countered. "_I'm _the one holding the cards this time, twerp. I'm finally getting my revenge on everyone after all these years. And I'm gonna keep you alive until the very end, so you can suffer the most. I want you to watch as the world burns and freezes. I want you to look in the eyes of your friends as they die in front of you."

"What the hell did I do?" Misty demanded. "Amber was right, you really are blaming me for all this. You were _fourteen_ already when I was _born! _How could any part of your miserable life be _my _fault?"

"You spent years dedicating your life to ruining mine!" Jessie answered emotionally, rage and despair forming equal parts of her quivering, shrill cries. "You and these little twerps!" she said, pointing at Ash and Brock. "But mostly _you!_ Always swanning around with your pretty hair and your pretty outfits while I toiled day after day after miserable day, never getting a reward, never seeing any prosperity at all. You had it easy all this time, and you had to rub it in my face constantly. I couldn't even steal that stinking little rat, Pikachu. All because of _you!"_

Misty scrunched her face up in disbelief.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," she replied. "You're complaining about me stopping you from _stealing_ my best friend's Pokémon? You're pathetic! All we ever did was travel around, being Pokémon trainers. That's _all!_ You could have done it too. You _chose_ to do things the wrong way. James and Meowth even told me that you had far more success the few times you chose legitimate business than you _ever_ did in Team Rocket. You made your choice, and you chose badly. Blaming me for it isn't going to fix a damn thing."

"I don't _have_ to blame anyone anymore!" Jessie cackled. "Now I'm in control of this whole organisation. Now the entire world of crime belongs to _ME!_ I can't wait to see what you do when you realise your precious, spoiled life turns into the crap hole that I had to live through."

Misty's face felt hot as she boiled over in anger.

"_Spoiled?"_ she spat. "My parents _abandoned_ me when I was a little kid! They left my sisters in charge of the gym _and_ in charge of bringing me up themselves! We never had any money, we worked through the night all the time, and my sisters all took out their frustrations on _me!_ I ran away from home when I was ten, and after I'd made my first ever friends my sisters abandoned the gym, and I had to leave my _best friends_ behind to go back and run it by myself! I never went to school. I never had any friends other than Ash and Brock, and I never had a childhood. Don't you _dare_ call me spoiled!"

Jessie heard the whole thing, but Misty's story of abandonment and poverty only served to make her even madder.

"Oh that's just great," she complained. "So you're not just prettier and more successful than me, you had an even worse upbringing than _I _did. Are you satisfied now? Do you feel better about yourself knowing that I'm an even bigger failure than you thought?"

"You're a pretty twisted woman," Misty said coldly. "Even after everything that's happened, you still think this is all about you. How sad. I told you, you made your choice. You _chose_ to be bad. I couldn't care less about your crappy life. I care about the millions of people who don't have a home anymore. The families whose lives have been turned upside down by the loss of a loved one." She looked down at the dead grunt. "The people you've killed. Nothing you do now will ever take those things away."

Jessie almost looked like she was considering what Misty was saying for a moment. Only for a moment though, and then her face returned to its normal sadistic snarl.

"You think I'll have trouble sleeping at night, twerp? Maybe _you_ would, but I'm not as weak as you are. Where I come from, you take what you want, and if anyone's too weak to stop you then they didn't deserve it anyway. Like that grunt at your feet. He was _weak_. If he was worthy of living then he wouldn't have spent so much time kneeling at my feet and kissing my ass. People like that disgust me. I use them and move on. I'll show you what success _really_ is before I kill you. You're gonna witness _true_ power when I bring the world to its knees."

Something caught Misty's eye behind Jessie, and when she realised what it was she turned quickly to her left and noticed that Amber was gone.

"Would you look at that," Jessie mocked. "Looks like Amber's done a runner on you. I guess there's more than a bit of Rocket left in that girl after all. This is what you get for trusting someone, right twerp? Amber's a _spy_. _My _spy. You thought she was your friend."

Jessie noticed a sudden, almost imperceptible, sadness cross Misty's face, and she leapt at it.

"You two were more than friends. You were lovers, weren't you?" she laughed. "My, my. This _is_ interesting. Maybe I shouldn't have tortured her. It seems like she did her job pretty well after all. If I'd known she was going to mess you up like this I probably would have congratulated her. And _you!_ Batting for the other team! I never would have guessed, given your tomboyish attitude and decidedly unladylike demeanour. Oh wait, I guess it was pretty obvious to everyone but you."

"I'm not a lesbian, Jessie," Misty scowled. "And Amber didn't mess me up."

"I messed _you_ up."

Jessie turned around and immediately became even more furious than she was before. Amber was standing behind her with Pikachu on her shoulder, and all six of Jessie's captives were with her. She'd freed them all while Misty distracted her with the Pokémon battle and the subsequent argument.

"You ungrateful little–"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt her!" Amber said with a satisfied grin.

"_CHUUUU!"_

Pikachu leapt off Amber's shoulder and blasted Jessie with a powerful electric attack, launching Jessie across the warehouse and into the opposite wall. Luckily for her the wall was padded with thick sound-absorbing materials and the impact didn't kill her. She slowly got to her feet, drawing a walkie-talkie from her belt. Shakily, she held it to her ear.

"Call it in," she said, then looked up to the ceiling.

Misty, Amber and the others all looked up to see the roof begin to glow red hot, then suddenly explode inwards. Jessie rushed to the middle of the warehouse floor as Moltres swooped down and scooped her up in its huge talons before flying off at an incredible pace.

"Shit!" Misty cursed loudly. "We were so close!"

"It's fine," Amber called from the upper level. "People are gonna notice a huge Moltres flying through the night sky. She can't go anywhere without people seeing her."

Suddenly they heard a buzzing noise from behind Misty. She turned around and saw Jessie's walkie talkie on the ground, so she walked over and picked it up.

"She probably dropped it when she was escaping," Misty suggested.

She held it to her ear and heard a voice transmitting through. The signal was a little weak, but the voice was more or less clear.

_"Boss, the plan is in motion as we speak. Articuno will be in our possession in moments. By the time you get there it will be completely under our control."_

Misty's eyes widened.

"She's got Articuno," she yelled up to Amber and the others. "She has all three of them now."

"But she can't use the evolution machine to turn it into a Shadow Pokémon unless Articuno's brought here," Amber informed her. "She might have it, but it won't be under her control like Zapdos and Moltres."

"You're right!" Misty cried out, almost in joy. "As long as we have the machine, she can't use it!"

"That machine…" Giovanni said weakly. As the others all turned to face him, they noticed for the first time how weak and gaunt he looked. James had to help him stand on his own two feet. "You have to destroy it."

"No way!" Amber yelled. "Why should we listen to you anyway? You're as bad as Jessie!"

"No!" he pleaded. "You don't understand!"

"So make us understand!" Amber demanded aggressively. "This machine could be used for _good!_ It was designed to be a tool for trainers, not a Shadow Pokémon generator. Silph Co could still use this thing!"

"Giovanni's not the one responsible for all this," James chimed in. "He'd disbanded Team Rocket years earlier. He was running a restaurant in Celadon City, and making a good profit from it, amongst other business ventures. He had nothing to do with any of this."

"Yeah," Meowth added. "He didn't want nothin' to do with Team Rocket no more. He went legitimate, like us. He was even gonna give us jobs. Said we'd earnt it."

"So why are you here then?" Amber asked, still not quite believing everything.

"He's here because Jessie needed someone to unite the crime teams," James explained. "She couldn't do it on her own, nobody would rally behind her like they would if Giovanni came back. So she used him to unite them all under one banner, promising total control over the world economy and a plan that would never fail. If she'd said it all herself, no one would believe her."

"But comin' from Giovanni, even the weirdos from Team Aqua and Team Magma believed it. When she shut him up and took control of the whole thing herself, nobody batted an eyelash 'cause they all thought Giovanni did it."

"Please, believe me," Giovanni begged. "All I wanted was to reintegrate with society. Do things the honest way. Crime brought me nothing but hassles and conspiracies, not to mention all the weird people you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis."

The effort of speaking tired him out, so James continued for him.

"He opened that Pokémon theme park–"

"–the one we destroyed," Meowth interrupted.

"Yes, that one," James blushed. "Anyway, he rebuilt it eventually and it made him see that it was more satisfying to build something yourself than to take what you want from people. He started a business empire, and he even started donating money to the things Team Rocket had ruined. But it's all lost now, Jessie spent millions of his money and ruined his reputation."

"I'm finished," Giovanni sighed. "That bitch ruined everything I worked so hard for."

"I had no idea," Amber said softly, looking at Giovanni with pity. "I'm so sorry."

"What about this machine?" Ritchie asked. "Silph Co will probably still want it back. It can still be used for good. Imagine it…a machine that can be used to evolve Pokémon without any side-effects. It'll revolutionise Pokémon training."

"Giovanni's right, we have to destroy it," Misty said firmly.

"But why?" Ritchie cried out defensively. "It could even help endangered Pokémon survive in the wild! There's so many good uses for it, we can't just destroy it!"

Misty shook her head. "Would you really want to upset the balance of nature like that?" she asked. "If you start introducing stronger Pokémon to ecosystems, they'll kill off other, weaker Pokémon. Not to mention that no trainer worth their weight in crap would ever want a machine to do their job for them. Can you imagine all the bastards of the world entering tournaments with fully evolved Dratinis and Larvitars? Kids would never have a chance against opposition like that."

"She's right," came a voice from the warehouse door. It was Officer Jenny. "We have to destroy it, for the good of people and Pokémon everywhere. Silph Co are a company, after all, and they're out to make money. The ethics don't factor in as much as the profit does. They might have had decent enough intentions, but that doesn't matter. The bigger picture is what matters here. Ash, why don't you have the honour?"

"Gladly," he replied, stepping up to the railing. "Wartortle, Hydro Pump!"

Wartortle nodded happily as he received his first command from his trainer since evolving from Squirtle. His head disappeared into his shell once more, moments before a massive, gushing torrent spewed forth. The impact dented the machine badly as sparks flew out of it, the water damaging all the internal components. After a few seconds it had completely split in half.

"Pikachu, Thunder attack!" he said with a grin, and Pikachu leapt down from the upper level, using the Thunder attack to buffer his fall. The machine exploded, leaving behind a charred mess in thousands of pieces across the warehouse.

"That felt pretty good," he smiled widely.

"Let's get you lot to the Pokémon Centre," Jenny said. "I'm sure Nurse Joy would be happy to help you out after everything you've been through."

"I'm going with Misty," Ash said firmly. "This isn't over yet, and I'm not stopping until Jessie's locked up."

"Let's think about this for a moment, Ash," Brock countered. "We've been held captive for months now, and all of us have seen better days. We don't just need to go to the Pokémon Centre, we need weeks of recovery time. Misty is more than capable of handling this on her own."

"She's not alone," Amber said, stepping forward. "She's got me. I'll go with her."

"But where are we going?" Misty asked. "We have no idea where Jessie even went."

"I know one way we can find out," Amber smirked. "Let's go talk to those grunts in the torture rooms."

Misty shook her head, then looked over at Ash, Brock, Ritchie, James and Meowth.

"I have to make sure my friends are all okay."

Amber looked a little sad, but nodded her understanding.

"It's okay," Misty told her, "you go and have fun, and I'll be waiting for you outside."

"Everybody else, follow me," Jenny called out, then lead the others out of Rocket HQ.

"I thought you'd wanna go with her?" Misty said to her.

"Oh I think I have an idea how she's gonna get that information from the Rocket grunts. It's better if I don't know," she laughed, then turned to Amber. "You just come talk to me outside when you're done and my people will take care of the arrests."

Amber turned to Misty. "I think she'd be great at getting information out of turds like those grunts."

"Me too," Misty agreed. "Look at that body of hers. I certainly wouldn't wanna mess with her."

Officer Jenny started to blush as Brock made his way over.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when _I_ have to drag _you_ away from an Officer Jenny," he laughed to Misty.

"I-I was just…complimenting her on her…fitness. Yeah. She looks like she works out, 'cause she's a police officer, and you know, she'd be good at…fitness stuff…I'm not making this any better, am I?"

"Is this what it's like when I do it?" Brock asked Ash.

"You're way worse," he chuckled. "Cringeworthy. At least Misty's kinda cute when she's embarrassed."

"Alright, that's enough. Let's go," Jenny giggled, leading them away up the stairs marked 'Game Corner'.

Amber stopped Misty before she followed the others.

"Are you sure you don't wanna come with?" she asked. "I could really use your help. I might get carried away in there, after what those men did to me."

Misty smiled worriedly at her. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Just don't kill anyone. All we need is a location from them, okay?"

Amber smiled back at her, then leant forwards and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for letting me help," she said softly. "I won't let you down, I promise."

"I'll see you outside," Misty said, already walking away. She was careful not to show any affection towards Amber, still not completely trusting her despite her help freeing the others and her apparent abuse at the hands of the Rocket United grunts.

Misty exited the building through the temporarily shut down game corner, which had several policemen and women standing guard throughout the establishment. As she walked past the various tables and poker machines she began to feel fatigue setting in, now that the adrenaline had worn off. She knew she had a long night ahead of her, and that she couldn't allow herself to get too tired, but she couldn't wait to sit down and have a coffee. When she walked through the front doors she immediately saw all the others standing in a group nearby. Ash, Brock, Gary and Ritchie were chatting away as they received medical attention, while Giovanni, James and Meowth received their own medical attention a few feet away from them. Anders was talking to Officer Jenny, and didn't appear hurt. As she approached them, Erika came up to her with a big smile on her face.

"I trust you're okay?" she asked.

"Fine," Misty replied with a warm smile of her own. "Just a little tired."

"I can imagine you're exhausted, after the day you've had," Erika nodded. "Here, this will help. It's fresh and hot."

She handed her a cup of coffee in a paper cup, and Misty's eyes lit up immediately.

"Thanks so much!" she squealed. "I was just thinking about coffee."

Erika laughed. "I know I have been. Thought you could use one too."

"Erika, you're the greatest," Misty said after a few short sips.

"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do. Now I imagine you have some catching up to do…so I'll leave you be. Gary and I have come up with a plan of sorts, so when you're ready, come talk to me."

"Sure thing," Misty said with a smile, then Erika skipped off towards Officer Jenny and Anders.

She slowly walked over to Giovanni, James and Meowth, who seemed a little worse for wear. Giovanni was being loaded into the back of an ambulance while a paramedic wrapped blankets around James and Meowth.

"How are you two doing?" she asked.

"Cold, sore and tired," Meowth replied. "But the ambulance guy said my fur will grow back real quick. So that's something, I guess."

"And Erika says my scars make me look rugged and handsome," James grinned.

Misty chuckled. "They do give you more of a tough-guy look."

James' face turned serious then.

"Listen, Misty, is there anything we can do to help out? We feel as though we've been a little useless lately. We want to help out any way we can."

"No way!" Misty answered, a little too loudly. She put a hand to her mouth in embarrassment as several people turned around to look at her. "I mean, you guys have just been freed after being captured and tortured. You need to recover! You've done more than enough. I'm sure once all this is over, we'll find you something important that only you guys can take care of."

"Really?" Meowth asked in disbelief. "You mean, us really being good guys? For good? For real?"

"If you want to," Misty shrugged.

The two ex-Team Rocket members turned and grinned at each other.

"I hope it's some sort of federal agent-type thing," Meowth chirped.

"I'd settle for police informant. As long as we get paid well," James replied.

"Do ya think there'll be food vouchers involved? Even a discount would be great."

Misty smiled to herself as she walked off, leaving the two of them to speculate on their future. Ash was waiting for her, having excused himself from his little group. Misty slowly walked towards him, feeling a little nervous. She hadn't spoken to him or even seen him in almost a year. He looked terrible, but he was holding up pretty well, she thought, for a young man who'd just endured months of being held captive, probably starving and in pain most of the time. He looked her up and down, a broad smile forming on his face.

"You look amazing, Mist," he said finally, trying to hide his exhaustion from her.

"Thanks," she blushed.

"I'm digging the black leather bad-girl look. It suits you."

Misty smirked. "You never noticed my looks back when we were kids."

"I took a long time to mature," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "Besides, the only girl I've seen in months has been Jessie. Seeing you now is like being in a dream. I feel like I should be waking up."

Misty blushed harder. "I'll take that as a compliment. Since when did you become sweet, anyway?"

"I had a lot of time to think while I was held by Team Ro – I mean, Rocket United," he told her. "I thought about that first time you had to leave, to go look after the Cerulean Gym, and all the other times I had to say goodbye to you. I wondered if I'd ever see you again. I didn't know if something had happened to you, they wouldn't tell me anything. I only just found out that you were the tournament champion, or that there was a tournament at all."

"Oh yeah…I had to borrow some of your Pokémon. I hope you don't mind."

Ash waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just glad I could help in some way."

He stepped a little closer to her, taking her hands, then looking back up into her eyes.

"You know, the hardest thing was not knowing if you were alive," he said softly. "I really missed you, Misty. More than I knew I _could_ miss someone. And I promised myself that if I ever got to see you again that I'd make the most of it. I think it's time I admitted this to myself, and to you."

Misty gulped. She knew what he was about to say, and she wasn't sure how she was going to reply. She suddenly realised that there were several people interested in her at the moment.

"Misty, you mean a lot to me. We're best friends, and I never wanna be apart from you for that long ever again. I think I'm in love with you, and I think I might have been for a very long time, and just never really understood what it was. I'm sure now. I love you, Misty."

He gave her hands a little squeeze, looking into her eyes with an intensity he'd never shown before. She felt as though she was shaking, but she wasn't sure. She had to gather herself up. She needed to say something.

_Why couldn't he have said that six years ago?_

A sadness came over her as she realised what she needed to tell him, but she held her resolve for the time being. She wasn't entirely convinced that she wouldn't burst into tears at any moment, but she had to try.

"Ash," she began, looking down, away from his face. "Things are complicated right now. A lot of things have happened lately, and I haven't had time to think any of it through yet. I still have to find Jessie and release the Legendary Birds before I can even relax."

"I know what you're gonna say," he said with an understanding smile that she knew was put-on. "You need time. That's okay, I've got a lot of recovering to do before I can do anything much either."

She smiled up at him, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Thanks, Ash."

He turned and looked over at Gary, who was watching the two of them intently.

"I never thought Gary would be interested in you, but then I never thought Jessie would try to take over the world either," he laughed. "Stranger things have happened, I guess. Look, I'll still be here when you're ready to think about all this. Just know…I love you, and we'll always be best friends."

"No matter what," she said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Ash leant forwards and wiped the tear from her cheek, then softly kissed her forehead before walking off towards Brock and Ritchie. Gary started walking towards her then, looking a little mad. Before he could get there Amber came bursting out of the game corner.

"Shamouti Island!" she shouted. "She's gone to Shamouti Island, in the Orange Islands!"

Adrenaline kicked back in, and Misty went back into serious-mode. Erika charged up the stairs towards them, her new all-action demeanour becoming more and more familiar.

"When you're ready, Misty," she said.

Misty nodded moments before Pidgeot came in for a landing.

"Pidgeot and Charizard can only carry a person each," Gary announced.

"I'm going with her," Amber told them.

"Good, 'cause Erika and I have business in Saffron City," Gary replied.

"We're going to Silph Co to see if there's a way to shut down the Master Cages, and hopefully return all the Shadow Pokémon to normal too," Erika added. "With any luck, we'll have those cages shut down before too long, and Jessie will lose her trump card."

"I've got the police going through the Rocket headquarters, looking for information on other bases around the world," Officer Jenny chimed in. "If we can find all the bases, we can raid them all one by one until all the cities and towns of the world are free from Rocket United's grasp."

Misty nodded again. "Alright, that sounds like a solid plan. Let's get going before Jessie has a chance to do anything too reckless. Good luck, everyone."

As the others all walked off, Gary stayed behind.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"I'm not gonna let my feelings get in the way of anything," he sighed. "But we need to talk when this is all over."

He turned and raced off after Erika before Misty had a chance to say anything. She grumbled as she herself turned and walked off towards Pidgeot and Amber. Amber was waiting for her, wearing a confused look on her face.

"I had no idea you guys were a couple," she said, looking totally embarrassed. "I feel so stupid. I'm sorry, Misty. If I'd known, I wouldn't have–"

"– we're not a couple," Misty interrupted, quickly becoming annoyed as she released Charizard from his pokéball. "And don't feel stupid. I haven't rejected anyone yet. We have to concentrate on stopping Jessie right now, okay? After that, when the world isn't under threat of burning and freezing and general death and mayhem, _then_ I'll think about my love life."

"You got it," Amber replied, not wanting to risk irking Misty any more. "You ready, Pidgeot?"

"Pijjjoh!" Pidgeot announced with fervour.

Pikachu – who had been catching up with Ash and Brock – suddenly appeared and leapt up onto Charizard's neck as Misty climbed aboard.

"Time to bury Jessie for good," Misty sneered as Pidgeot and Charizard took to the air, heading south towards the Orange Islands.


	13. Legendary Battle

The weather became more intense as Amber and Misty approached Shamouti Island. Within just a few miles it had gone from scorching heat to a full-on blizzard, then monsoon rain, and back to blizzard again. Misty glanced across at Amber, who was riding Pidgeot, still wearing her Rocket United uniform. She looked freezing, and flying at Charizard's top speed certainly wasn't helping matters. Neither was the fact that her uniform was the standard issue micro-miniskirt and crop top.

They spotted Shamouti Island in the distance, the peak becoming visible through the clouds as they approached. Charizard had gotten quick, so before long they were coming in for a landing.

"Misty! Look over there!" Amber pointed.

Misty traced her gaze to a pair of glowing beacons sitting midway up the peak, and eventually realised that they were actually Moltres and Zapdos watching them carefully.

_Why aren't they attacking?_

Charizard and Pidgeot landed near the very spot that Ash, Misty and Tracey had been seven years earlier, the last time the three legendary birds had been responsible for worldwide disasters caused by their ability to affect the weather. This time was different though, as the legendary birds were under Rocket United's control, turned into Shadow Pokémon. And this time there was no telling whether Lugia would be there to help out.

"Welcome," a voice called out to them as they dismounted. Jessie's voice.

"You're gonna pay for what you did to me, what you did to _everyone_," Amber shouted angrily.

"Quiet, twerp!" Jessie snapped. "I don't even know why you're here. You have no Pokémon, and this doesn't even concern you. Articuno?"

Articuno appeared in a flash, flying up behind Jessie and hovering there as it prepared an Ice Beam attack. Charizard leapt into action immediately, spraying it with an Ember attack that stopped Articuno in its tracks. Jessie snorted in amusement.

"You really don't have a chance," she smirked. "You can't even stand the weather, look at you. Pathetic."

Amber was shaking violently. The temperature on Shamouti Island was significantly colder than it was in Celadon City, and she was really struggling. Neither of them had thought to grab something warm to wear, but Misty at least was dressed in the full black leather outfit she'd worn at the last tournament match. She unzipped the jacket and took it off, exposing her arms, shoulders and belly to the wind, cold and snow. The tiny, cropped tank she was wearing underneath was far less than sufficient, but it would have to do. She handed the jacket to Amber, who gratefully accepted it. Her legs were still entirely exposed, but at least now she wouldn't _immediately_ freeze to death.

"How sweet," Jessie frowned. "But if that Charizard and your little pipsqueak of a Pikachu is all you have to battle me with, you may as well give up now. I'll give you one chance, then you both die. I'm sick and tired of this game, and I'm sick and tired of seeing your disgustingly pretty face."

"You really think this is all my fault?" Misty scowled.

"I _know_ this is all your fault!" Jessie shouted angrily. "Every time I come up with a genius plan, one of you twerps is always there to screw it up! Every time my life takes another turn for the worse, _yours_ gets better somehow. If I can't win, then I'll just have to make sure everyone loses."

"You can't blame me for ruining your crappy plans," Misty countered. "I wasn't even there for the last six years. And besides, if your plans involve hurting someone, then of course I'm gonna stop you. If you'd just use that wrinkly head of yours to do something that doesn't involve stealing or violence, then people like us wouldn't have to get involved at all."

"Look at James and Meowth," Amber continued. "And me. We all turned good and legitimate, and now we're being offered proper jobs. Jobs that pay well, that utilise our skills. Nobody gets hurt, everyone gets what they want. What the hell is wrong with _you_? What makes you think you're so much more important than everyone else that you can _cheat_ your way through life?"

Jessie's face scrunched up in anger as she struggled to come up with a counter-argument.

"I had to go through _years_ of famine and bullying and–"

"We've been through this," Misty interrupted. "I went through just as much as you did, if not more. I turned out fine. So answer the damn question, and stop lying!"

Jessie gritted her teeth in fury. "Fine," she spat. "Only losers work hard for the man, and I'm not a loser. You can keep your cosy job and your social security. I'm skipping straight to the top. You know why? 'Cause winners don't answer to anyone. Winners don't work. They have minions to do the hard work for them. I've been a minion before, and now that I'm in charge I'm never going back. I answer to just one person: me. _I _make the rules, and _I_ get to decide what goes on in this world. And you know what I've decided? You both die, starting with _you_, you annoying redheaded brat!"

Zapdos swooped in, taking the place of Articuno, and immediately fired a Thunderbolt at Charizard and Pidgeot, who both swiftly dodged.

"You take Pidgeot," Misty told Amber, who nodded her understanding. "Charizard, Rock Slide!"

"Pidgeot, flank it and use Gust!" Amber ordered.

Pidgeot flew around behind Zapdos as Charizard began hurling boulders at it. Zapdos was trapped as Pidgeot's Gust attack forced it towards Charizard's boulder barrage. Zapdos took heavy damage, but still managed to blast some of the boulders into dust. A few stray bolts of electricity struck Pidgeot, causing him to pause his attack momentarily.

"You see?" Jessie cackled. "Zapdos wasn't even attacking your stupid bird on purpose, and yet down it goes."

_I forgot just how powerful Zapdos is,_ Misty thought to herself, cringing as Pidgeot continued to take random damage. Suddenly Zapdos began to glow, then it took off into the sky at incredible speed. The two girls looked into the sky, watching as Zapdos glowed brighter and brighter, obviously preparing some sort of attack.

"Don't wait for it, Charizard!" she shouted. "Fly up there and Fire Spin it!"

"You too, Pidgeot! Sky Attack!" Amber commanded.

The two Pokémon launched into the sky, Charizard preparing his Fire Spin as Pidgeot soared past at supersonic pace, easily overtaking Charizard. As the girls watched, Zapdos stopped glowing and a massive lightning bolt slashed down through the clouds, striking both Charizard and Pidgeot. They tumbled out of the sky, struggling to regain composure as they plummeted towards the earth. Both of them managed to slow their descent, but only enough that the fall didn't kill them. They were battered, both of them rendered almost completely useless.

"One attack…" Misty said in shock. "They only took one attack."

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Amber agreed. "That's not possible. No Pokémon is that strong."

"This is the power of the Legendary Birds," came a voice from nowhere, and yet everywhere all at once. "Your Charizard and Pidgeot are powerful, and yet they are nothing compared to the might of Zapdos. Its power, unchecked and unrestrained as it is, will result in the demolition of civilisation as you know it."

Misty thought for a moment that the voice belonged to Jessie, but quickly realised it didn't when Jessie looked just as confused as she was.

"What's going on? Who is that?" Jessie demanded. "I don't need your help, whoever you are. I have this situation completely under control, for once."

Zapdos reappeared from above, hovering behind and slightly above Jessie. It looked angry, angrier than a Shadow Pokémon normally does, at any rate. It looked more agitated as the voice began to speak again.

"You must stop," the voice continued, more sternly than before. "Left in their current state, the legendary birds will destroy _everything_. This cannot be allowed."

"That's sort of the _point_," Jessie replied, becoming irritated. "Now get lost. You can't stop me, whoever you are. Get outta here before you get in the way."

"Then I have no choice," the voice said.

Amber grabbed Misty by the shoulder, and Misty spun around in surprise.

"What _is_ that?" she asked.

"I've heard that voice before," Misty told her.

Suddenly a giant shadow flew straight up from the ocean, hovering in mid-air right in front of Zapdos.

* * *

Gary sprinted from building to building, Erika close behind him. They were attempting to avoid detection by Rocket United grunts as much as possible, but there was only so much they could do. Saffron appeared to be teeming with them. As they reached the Silph building, they realised they had to take a different approach.

"There's too many," Gary said between breaths. "We'll never get in like this."

"Agreed," Erika nodded. "We'll have to barrel through them."

"Blastoise can punch a hole through that blockade at the entrance."

"Tangela can sweep them aside."

They sighed as they realised the Rockets would just follow them in after that. There was no way to keep them outside.

"I might be able to help," said a familiar, sultry voice. Erika and Gary looked around, but saw no one.

"That was creepy," Erika said with wide eyes.

"Up here, above the entrance," the voice said again.

They realised the voice was in their heads, and looked above the Silph Co entrance. A shadowy figure stood on top of the entry. It was a young woman, with long black hair.

"Do it," the voice told them.

Gary released Blastoise as Erika released Tangela. They charged towards the building's entrance, immediately drawing the attention of the dozen-or-so Rocket United grunts standing guard.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Tangela, Vine Whip!"

The grunts quickly stepped out of the way of the massive torrent of water, which in turn struck the front doors of the building and smashed them open. Tangela's vines shot forwards immediately afterwards, grabbing the rearmost grunts and sweeping the lot of them away, launching several of them into the air. Erika and Gary darted for the entrance, making their way inside just as the doors slammed shut behind them. They both turned around, watching as the Rockets charged at the doors, struggling to push them open. Somehow, the doors stuck fast and wouldn't budge. After a few moments the grunts began to float into the air. Erika and Gary looked at each other and shrugged, unsure what was happening.

The shadowy figure that had been standing above the entrance suddenly leapt down, striding confidently and sensually towards the doors. She looked like a dominatrix. Gary's eyes were immediately drawn to her shiny thigh-high boots, then her matching shiny minidress and almost shoulder-length gloves. The dress was _very_ short, and looked eye-wateringly tight. She smiled, then giggled like a schoolgirl as Gary's jaw dropped.

"You can drool later," she smirked. "You have work to do, Misty's depending on you."

"Will you be okay?" Erika asked.

The young woman giggled a little more.

"Don't worry about me," she smirked again. "I've got some new friends to play with until you get back. Hurry, I can see Misty taking a bit of a beating. Go straight to level nine, and take the stairs. The lifts aren't working."

Erika and Gary turned to go, but were stopped mid-step.

"By the way, I'm loving the new look."

"Thanks," Gary replied. "I'm trying to go for a more mature theme these days."

The young woman frowned, and Gary immediately fell on his face, eliciting a surprised cry as he hit the deck.

"Not you," she scorned. "Erika. I like the action-girl look. Very sexy."

"Thanks, Sabrina," she smiled sweetly. "I'd compliment you on your look too, but you already know what I think, don't you?"

Sabrina smirked again, then turned around with a little wave and a wink. Gary and Erika ran to the stairs, preparing to climb eighteen flights. Gary rubbed his face where he'd hit the ground.

"That really hurt. She could have at least warned me."

"You know better than to think loudly around her," Erika laughed.

"How do you think _softly?_"

Erika rolled her eyes. "Men. Honestly, you think you're going to impress Misty with an attitude like that?"

"Oh don't tell me you can read minds too," Gary complained.

"You don't have to be able to read minds to tell you're crazy about her."

Gary stopped walking.

"Am I that obvious?"

Erika rolled her eyes again. "I'm a girl, remember? Of course I can tell."

"So…what's your take, then?"

Erika frowned as she grabbed him by the arm and continued climbing the stairs.

"Hey!" Gary protested.

"Now isn't the time! If we don't get those cages shut down then there won't _be_ a Misty for you to fawn over. Now let's _go!_"

* * *

Charizard and Pidgeot lay battered and exhausted on the ground nearby. Amber's face was stern, determined, even though Misty knew she must be frightened. She grabbed two more pokéballs, not concerned with which ones they were, and tossed one over to Amber.

"Be ready," Misty told her, and Amber nodded in reply.

Lugia presented ominously in front of Zapdos and Jessie, communicating telepathically with everyone present.

"Stand down," he told Zapdos and Jessie. "You will not get a second warning."

"Ha!" Jessie cackled. "You won't even get a _first_ warning. Go, Zapdos, fry that bird!"

Zapdos took off, looping around after an incredibly quick mile of flight and launching into a Drill Peck straight at Lugia. Lugia drew the attack away from Misty and Amber, but was struck from behind as Moltres blasted out a Flamethrower attack, then Articuno hit with an Ice Beam. Misty and Amber released their Pokémon, which turned out to be Starmie and Bulbasaur respectively.

"Go, Bulbasaur!" Amber cried. "Help out Lugia with Sunny Day and Solarbeam!"

"You too, Starmie! Ice Beam that Zapdos!"

The clouds parted only briefly – such was the effect of the extreme weather – and charged up Bulbasaur's Solarbeam just enough. Starmie's Ice Beam struck home, causing Zapdos to emit an ear-splitting shriek at it was propelled backwards with the force of the attack. Bulbasaur's Solarbeam hit Articuno right between the eyes, but neither attack seemed to leave any lasting damage. It drew the attention of both birds though, who both responded with attacks of their own. Misty and Amber dove out of the way, only narrowly avoiding the attacks. Bulbasaur and Starmie weren't so lucky, and were hit with the full force. Both Pokémon lay defeated next to Pidgeot and Charizard.

"They're too powerful!" Amber fretted. "All we can get is one hit in, and then they're toast!"

"We have to keep trying!" Misty yelled as she watched Moltres hit Lugia with a Fire Blast.

Lugia looked down at the two girls just before Zapdos began another Drill Peck.

"You two must leave. Now!" he told them telepathically. "It's not safe here."

"It's not safe _anywhere!_" Misty countered. "You _need_ our help!"

The Drill Peck struck Lugia in the side. Lugia plummeted about fifty feet, shrieking the whole way until he regained his composure and levelled out, but was immediately hit again by a Sky Attack from Moltres.

"Quick!" Misty said to Amber. "Take this!"

She threw Muk's pokéball to her as Pikachu stepped up, cheeks sparking and ready for action. Amber released Muk, immediately commanding a Sludge Bomb attack. Muk stood firm, hurling huge blobs of poisonous gunk at whichever legendary bird was closest. His aim was good, most of them hitting home, with only a few missing. They had little effect though.

"That's good, Amber!" Misty shouted. "Keep doing that, every time one Sludge Bomb hits, it stops an attack on Lugia!"

Pikachu started blasting Thunderbolts as well, using the same tactic without waiting for Misty's orders. Lugia began to get some hits of his own in, but was still getting clobbered pretty badly.

"Hit those twerps!" Jessie yelled angrily. "Then you can concentrate on Lugia."

Zapdos fired down a Thunderbolt, narrowly missing Pikachu but striking Muk, instantly knocking him out. Another three bolts landed nearby as Pikachu deftly danced around them. Misty could tell Pikachu was moving at full pace though, and couldn't keep it up. Sure enough, Articuno used Aurora Beam and struck a glancing blow, but that was enough to stop Pikachu in his tracks. The next Thunderbolt came down straight away, and Misty heard the little mouse Pokémon wince as the attack blasted him across the scenery and into the rocky wall behind them. She raced after him, scooping him up in her arms. He was out cold, but thankfully still alive.

"Quick, return them!" she told Amber. "At least they'll be out of harm's way."

The two girls quickly returned them all, all except for Pikachu and Pidgeot. Pidgeot was too heavy for them to move, so they had to leave him where he was. Jessie began to cackle again as Lugia took several critical hits. He was losing ground fast now, and with all of Misty's Pokémon down for the count except Wartortle, there was nothing anyone could do to help anymore.

Zapdos and Articuno suddenly struck Lugia simultaneously with a Thunder attack and Blizzard that finally knocked him out of the sky. He landed with a loud splash as he hit the water, instantly disappearing from view. Misty's shoulders slumped.

"That was surprisingly easy," Jessie laughed. "Even with Lugia around, you still barely made a dent in my legendary birds."

She stepped confidently over to Misty, smiling down at her with an evil-looking satisfaction. Out of nowhere she backhanded her right in the face, and Misty stumbled before falling over. Amber jumped in to defend her, but was also struck in the face by one of Jessie's fists, and fell to the ground as well.

"You have no idea how good it felt to hit you, twerp," she grinned, before stepping over to Amber.

She stood astride her, reached down and grabbed her by the jacket, lifting her upper body off the ground.

"Traitor," she scowled angrily at Amber, before launching a flurry of punches. She hit her five times in the face, then squeezed her legs together to free her other hand. Tears rolled down Amber's cheeks as she cried out in pain, her hands weakly shielding her face as Jessie continued pummelling her. Misty raced over, wrapping an arm around Jessie's neck and yanking her backwards, causing her to lose her grip on Amber's waist. Amber crashed to the ground, too badly beaten to get back up again.

Misty punched Jessie hard in the kidneys, and the older woman cried out before flinging an elbow backwards and hitting her in the belly. Misty doubled over as all the air escaped from her lungs. Jessie heaved both hands into her back and Misty dropped like a sandbag. As she rolled over onto her back Jessie sat astride her chest, her hands reaching around Misty's slender neck. Her thumbs pressed into the sides of her neck, just below her ears, and Misty immediately felt light-headed. She grabbed at Jessie's wrists, but Jessie was strong, and Misty couldn't budge her. Instead, she tried to push her backwards, but that didn't work either.

She could feel her consciousness wavering as Jessie's hands pulled at the back of her neck, lifting her head up as she scooted forwards slightly, using her legs to squeeze as well. Misty began crying involuntarily as the helplessness set in. The edges of her vision dimmed as she felt Jessie's thumbs pressing harder, her ears muffled by her thighs. She could still make out what she was saying though, but only just.

"I've waited a long time to put you down for good, twerp. You might have the looks, but I've got the strength and the power. I'm so glad I chose to do this myself, rather than have one of those birds do it for me. So much more satisfying to look in your eyes as I kill you."

Misty squirmed as much as she could, moaning and squeaking as she desperately tried to free herself, but she could feel her strength fading with each passing moment. Jessie started laughing uncontrollably as Misty's mind started drifting away.

* * *

Blastoise's Hydro Pump smashed straight into a grunt, sending him ploughing through a wall as Gary and Erika ran onwards, heading through the new doorway and straight towards the Silph laboratory. It didn't take long for them find what they were looking for.

"Wait! I work for Silph! I'm not one of them!" a scientist-looking guy cried out desperately. "Wait, you're Gary Oak! And you're that gym leader, Erika, isn't it?"

"Yes," Erika confirmed. "We're here to stop the Rockets, but we need your assistance."

"Quickly," Gary added.

"We need to know about the Master Cages," Erika insisted.

"Oh yes! I created those. Rather ingenious contraptions. But I'm sorry, those were stolen a while ago."

"We _know!_" Gary yelled. "The Rockets used them to capture the legendary birds."

"Oh dear, I thought they might do something like that," the scientist replied sadly. "I had a hunch when the weather started going all crazy."

"Please, we don't have time for a friendly discussion," Erika said as politely as she could. "We need to know how they work so we can shut them down."

"Oh dear…I-I can't help you, I'm sorry. They'll kill me if I help you."

"Who?" Gary sniggered. "That guy my Blastoise just sent through a wall? Or maybe that other guy Erika's Vileplume Solarbeamed out the window?"

"We've taken care of the Rockets, Officer Jenny's people will be here shortly to take care of the rest," Erika told him. "There's nothing to be afraid of now, I promise. Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader, she's away on Shamouti Island right now, fighting the leader of the Rockets. But she can't win as long as Jessie has control over the legendary birds."

The scientist stroked his beard thoughtfully, humming questioningly to himself as he weighed up his options. Gary was beginning to lose his patience, though.

"How much clearer can we make this?" he shouted at the terrified scientist. "If you don't tell us everything you know about the Master Cages, _everyone will die. Everyone._"

"Gary, please," Erika said to him. "Can't you see he's frightened?"

"So am I," Gary retorted. "My friend is out there and she's risking her life to save us all, and this guy's worried about saving his own pathetic ass."

Erika sighed. She knew he was right. She placed her hands on the scientist's shoulders and gave him her most adorable look.

"Please, you really _must_ help us. We only want to save the world."

The scientist looked down at her pretty face, then scrunched up his own as he gave in.

"Oh, okay. I suppose if the world ends because of this weather situation then I'm going to die anyway, aren't I?"

"Finally…" Gary sighed.

"Alright, the Master Cages act like giant Pokéballs, only much more powerful. They were actually the prototype for the original Master Ball, but we received funding from a mystery source to have them modified to make the captured Pokémon utterly subservient."

"So, what, it turns them into Shadow Pokémon? Is that what you're saying?" Gary asked.

"Correct," the scientist confirmed. "We weren't satisfied with the result, we felt it was too cruel, but then these Rocket United people showed up and stole the cages. They threatened us, told us we had to control the cages on their behalf or they'll kill everyone."

"Hang on, are you saying you still control them?" Gary interrupted.

"Well, yes," the scientist answered. "Unlike a pokéball, these aren't autonomous. They need to be controlled from a remote source, and that source is here, in this lab."

Erika and Gary grinned at each other.

"That's fantastic!" she squealed. "Please, you have to shut them down right now!"

"If I do, you have to promise to protect me," the scientist demanded. "And I expect compensation. My commission relies on this project being successful, you know."

"Forget your stupid commission!" Gary said angrily. "I can't believe you're thinking about getting paid while the fate of the world is at stake! You're unbelievable!"

"He's right, you know," Erika frowned. "This is bigger than your next paycheck. You have an opportunity to do something heroic here. You can save the world, right here and now. And I'd be eternally grateful to you, as well."

She stepped a little closer to him, grabbing hold of his collar in both hands and putting on her cutest smile. The scientist finally dropped his guard.

"Oh, I can't resist that sweet face. Okay, I'll do it. Come with me."

He led them to a computer screen nearby. He waved his hand in front of the screen, producing a virtual keyboard, and began typing away at it. Gary watched carefully as he changed several parameters, applied the changes to all three cages, then switched them off one by one.

"There, it's done," he announced.

"Would you mind if I took a quick look at that?" Gary asked. "I'm a Pokémon researcher, you see, just like Professor Oak, my grandfather. I'm fascinated by some of the stuff I just saw."

"Well, okay, as long as you look and don't touch," the scientist said warily.

Erika took the opportunity to distract him, taking his hands and reaching up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you ever so much," she smiled sweetly. "You've done a wonderful thing today. I knew you could be brilliant."

The scientist blushed heavily, looking down at Erika's hands, then at her face as she gave him her cutest possible look. Gary quickly got to work, grinning to himself as he shut down the program that monitored the cages, deleting all traces of it on the hard drive and deleting all the backup files on the Silph network as well.

"That's quite incredible," Gary lied. "I had no idea Pokémon could be controlled like that."

Erika took her cue.

"I'm terribly sorry, but we really must go now," she told the scientist. "We must report to Officer Jenny and get word to Misty and Amber somehow."

"Thanks for all your help," Gary grinned.

"Hey, I thought you said you'd stay and protect me!" he cried out to them. "If they come back, I'm a dead man! Wait!"

"Bye, handsome," Erika giggled as the two of them ran off towards the staircase.

"Since when did you start using your womanly charms to get your way?" Gary asked in amusement.

Erika looked pleased with herself. "I saw an opportunity, I took it."

"It's not really your style."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it worked," Gary smiled. "I've just never seen you do that before."

"Why do Misty and Sabrina get to have all the fun?" she replied. "I'm just as capable of seducing a man as they are. I just wanted to know what it was like."

"And?"

Erika grabbed him as they reached the bottom of a flight of stairs and shoved him into the wall. She pressed herself against him, sliding her soft hands up his shirt. She stood on her toes and softly breathed into his ear, feeling as Gary's anatomy changed slightly in response.

"I like being bad," she whispered. "I think I could make you forget all about Misty, if I wanted to."

She gently nibbled on his earlobe, her fingertips softly stroking his chest. She could feel his heart rate sharply rising as his skin became slightly hotter. Suddenly she stopped, stepping away from him with a cheeky grin on her face. She glanced down, smiled a little wider, then looked back up into his embarrassed eyes,

"Would you like to rest for a few minutes before we continue our descent? Perhaps Silph has a bathroom somewhere, you could take a cold shower before we leave."

Gary went bright, bright red, his hands covering his shame.

"That's just mean, Erika."

"You asked, didn't you?" she smiled sweetly. "Come, we should leave."

Erika took off down the stairs, humming softly to herself, still grinning.

"Hey, you can't leave now! What about me?"

"It's going to do that again when you see Sabrina downstairs anyway," she called back to him. "May as well get used to it. I'm starting to really like this game. Can't wait to tell Misty all about it."

"Don't you dare!"

* * *

"What?"

Jessie cried out in surprise as Misty reached for her pokéballs, releasing Wartortle. Wartortle reacted instantly, blasting Jessie in the back with a Water Gun. She toppled forwards and rolled back onto her feet, but was hit with another Water Gun and fell backwards again. Misty took a few moments to catch her breath, her vision returning to normal as her strength returned. Wartortle kept blasting Jessie as Misty slowly got to her feet, rubbing her neck where Jessie had been pressing it with her thumbs.

"Zapdos, get rid of this little pest," Jessie yelled angrily.

Zapdos obeyed, Thunderbolting the unwitting Wartortle and knocking him out instantly. Misty returned him to his pokéball, whispering her thanks to him for saving her life. Articuno and Moltres approached, flanking Zapdos and awaiting an expected new order from Jessie.

"Now I'm soaking wet, and freezing," she complained. "Your stupid Wartortle ruined the moment for me. I'm sick of playing around. Now you both die for real. Moltres? Burn them to a crisp."

Moltres did nothing. Misty noticed their eyes had stopped glowing red just as the three birds began looking at each other in utter confusion.

"What are you waiting for? Do what I tell you!" Jessie shouted.

_Erika and Gary must have found a way to shut down those cages!_

Misty grinned. "I think your day just got worse."

Suddenly the clouds began to part and the sun poked through, providing instant warmth. Misty looked up at the sky and saw the clouds rolling away in every direction, the entire Orange Islands region brightening up before her eyes. The three legendary birds took off in opposing directions, disappearing into the horizon almost as soon as they left. Misty knew she'd see them again, but hoped it wouldn't be for a long, long time.

_Twice in seven years is more than anyone deserves._

"What's happening? Where's my apocalypse gone?" Jessie yelled, a tremor in her voice.

"Game over, Jessie," Misty grinned. "You lose."

Jessie scowled angrily, balling her fists. She grunted like an Arcanine as the reality set in that her plans had been ruined.

"I guess I'll just have to settle for killing you instead."

She charged at Misty, knocking her onto her back. She reached for her neck again, but this time Misty swept a leg up in front of her face and yanked her to the side, knocking her over. Jessie quickly kicked Misty with both feet as she tried to get up, knocking her over again, then got to her feet herself and rushed at her once more. She straddled Misty again and grabbed her neck, and Misty started feeling light-headed again. Jessie was being predictable now, her rage getting the better of her. Misty swept her to the side with her legs again, then quickly sat on her back and pulled her arms back. Jessie bucked desperately, trying to dislodge her, eventually putting Misty off-balance just enough to escape. As she rolled over on to her back, she found Misty's legs shooting out either side of her neck, quickly snatching it and clamping shut. She pried at her knees as Misty rolled over, sitting on Jessie's chest.

"Quick! Amber, get Bulbasaur to tie her up!" Misty yelled.

Amber was still very groggy from the battering she'd received at Jessie's hands, but was able to release the equally sore Bulbasaur from his pokéball. Bulbasaur took a few moments to gather himself, looking exhausted and in immense pain. Misty was still sitting on Jessie's chest, the furious Jessie squirming and grunting relentlessly, trying to get free. Misty grabbed the back of Jessie's head and yanked it forwards to get a better grip, pulling her neck high up between her thighs before clamping them shut again and squeezing with her outstretched legs. Jessie knew she was in big trouble now as her face became darker and darker the tighter Misty squeezed.

"You're gonna pay for this, bitch," Jessie grunted through clenched teeth as she pried and pushed at Misty's thighs. "_Nobody_ humiliates me."

"Amber? I need Bulbasaur!" Misty cried out.

Bulbasaur could barely stand, and was in no shape to help out. He collapsed onto the ground as he tried to extend a vine and passed out.

"Bulbasaur's had it, Mist," Amber apologised. "He can't help, he can't even stand. I'm sorry."

"Then find something else to tie her up with! Quickly! Anything!"

Amber looked around desperately, but there was nothing there. Just rocks and grass. She started panicking as Jessie grunted louder and angrier, knocking Misty onto her side, then getting to her feet with Misty still clamped to her neck, hanging upside down.

"AMBER!" Misty squealed.

"Get _off_ me!" Jessie yelled, punching Misty in the belly.

Misty cried out in pain as the blows continued, getting more and more forceful as Jessie's rage got more intense. She grabbed on to Jessie's wrists shortly before receiving a knee to the back of her head. She let go of Jessie's neck and fell to the ground, bracing her fall with her forearm, but Jessie was full of adrenaline and immediately kicked her hard in the ribs. Misty squealed in pain, rolling onto her front and curling up, and was kicked in the belly, launching her onto her back. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the pain set in.

Jessie put a foot on Misty's throat and pressed down, making her cough and splutter uncontrollably. She tried to reach up with her legs to kick her away, but Jessie swatted them aside and ground her foot down harder. She couldn't breathe at all now, and Jessie started laughing as Misty struggled. Amber raced over as quickly as her painful injuries would allow, but Jessie saw her coming and backhanded her in the face, knocking her over. Her head hit the ground and she blacked out immediately. Misty started panicking.

"The game is over when _I say_ it's over, twerp," Jessie mocked. "You forget I still have troops all over the world, all still loyal to me. I can take the whole stinking planet, any time I like. Just because I can't destroy it anymore, doesn't mean I can't still have fun."

She took her foot off Misty's throat, and Misty coughed again as she struggled to get her breath back. She rubbed at her neck as Jessie knelt down, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head. She knelt down on her face, one knee pressing on her neck, the other grinding into her cheek. Misty cried out, then shrieked as Jessie put all her weight down. She whimpered and sobbed as Jessie started repeatedly bouncing her knees down on her.

"Aww, does this hurt?" Jessie mocked. "What hurts more, this? Or knowing that you tried everything to beat me and you're still gonna lose?"

Misty cried as Jessie's words hit home. She was right – Rocket United was far from defeated, their leader was going to escape again and there was nobody left that could take her down. She'd tried her best, and done very well, but it wasn't enough. Trying hard and doing very well wasn't going to save the world.

She tried once more to dislodge her, but Jessie responded by getting off her face and dropping knees-first right into her belly. Misty screamed and curled up, hugging her belly as she rolled around in severe pain. Jessie cackled in amusement, getting to her feet and kicking Misty in the back.

"What do I do with you now?" she wondered aloud. "I could leave you here, radio in a ride back to Kanto, but you might find a way back as well."

She wandered over to the edge of the cliff, looking over it to the ocean below.

"Ooh, that's a long way down," she smirked. "You'd definitely die if you fell down there. No one would ever find your body."

She cackled again, then turned around and walked back to where Misty lay crying and broken on the ground.

"I think I've made up my mind," she stated confidently. "I'm going to throw you over the edge of the cliff. You can rot down there with your friend Lugia."

She grabbed Misty's ankles and started dragging her towards the cliff edge. Misty screamed in protest, kicking and flaying as best as she could, but Jessie was too strong.

"Goodbye, twerp," she said. "I'd say you were a worthy opponent, but even that wimp James put up more of a fight than you."

"You can kill me if you want," Misty told her, knowing there really wasn't anything she could do anymore, "but I won't be the last one to try and stop you. And even though I failed, they won't."

"Who's gonna stop me? That black-haired twerp? The spiky haired twerp? I really don't think so. Anyway, I'm tired of your voice now, so –"

Jessie stopped in her tracks suddenly. Misty couldn't tell why.

"Are you serious?" she laughed. "You can barely stay on your feet! You're pathetic!"

Misty heard the familiar crackle of electricity and started smiling. Jessie dropped Misty's ankles and stood in a wide stance, ready to dodge or attack.

"Pika_chu_ pika _pi_ka, pi_ka_chu pika_chu_," Pikachu said sternly.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jessie asked, chuckling in amusement as Pikachu stood in her way, defiantly standing his ground.

"He said 'that means nothing, you'll still fry'," Misty translated.

"Oh that's the last –"

"_CHUUUUU!"_

Pikachu used almost all his remaining energy to zap Jessie, who shrieked before collapsing in a heap on the ground, banging her head in the process.

Amber woke up then, groaning as she sat up.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Jessie knocked you over, you hit your head pretty hard," Misty explained.

"So that's why it hurts so much. What happened to Jessie? Did you give her a good squeeze?"

"Pikachu happened. I got my ass kicked."

"_Pi_ pikachu!" Pikachu enthused with exhaustion.

"What if she wakes up?" Amber asked.

Misty shrugged. "Can you shock her again, Pikachu?"

Pikachu shook his head, then plonked himself on the ground, totally wiped out.

"I'll figure something out," Misty shrugged again. "Now that she's been knocked out once, maybe it'll be easier to do the next time."

"Well, you get ready to knock her out again and I'll try to call someone for a lift."

Misty sighed, staring down at Jessie's unconscious face, waiting for the inevitable wake-up as Amber tried to reach someone. It took a few minutes, but eventually the police were able to put her through to Officer Jenny.

"Right, she's sending a helicopter from Veridian City, it shouldn't be too long," Amber informed her. "She also said clothes make decent ropes when you're desperate."

"Why didn't we think of that?"

"Because you were busy fighting Jessie and I was busy getting concussion."

Misty chuckled as Amber slowly made her way over to her, taking off Misty's leather jacket. Misty rolled Jessie over and held her hands behind her back as Amber secured them with the jacket sleeves.

"This will ruin your jacket, you know," Amber sighed. "It's a nice jacket."

"It's okay," Misty snorted. "It's yours."

"The pants too?" Amber asked, her jaw dropped in shock.

"Of course," Misty laughed.

"Bitch!" Amber laughed back at her. "I _thought_ they looked nice!"

Misty stood up and strutted around, giggling as she showed off. Amber slapped her butt as Misty continued to tease her.

"They look better on you anyway," Amber said with a smile.

After another hour, filled mostly with an angry Jessie whingeing, the helicopter finally arrived. An Officer Jenny stepped out, holding handcuffs.

"Have you got a gag in there as well?" Amber asked, gesturing at Jessie. "This bitch won't shut up."

Jenny smiled as she cuffed Jessie. "We sure do. We've also got water and some food, but I'm guessing you probably just wanna sleep, huh."

Jenny escorted Jessie into the helicopter and handcuffed her in place, then gestured at Pidgeot.

"Will it be alright?" she asked. "It doesn't look too good."

"Want a ride to the Pokémon Centre, Pidgeot?" Misty asked.

Pidgeot nodded in gratitude, happily but painfully getting on board. Jenny, Misty and Amber climbed on board too, and they took off back to Celadon City. As Shamouti Island became smaller and smaller in the distance, Misty noticed three bright glowing objects flying alongside them. She looked more carefully out the window as the glowing faded, revealing the three legendary birds. Zapdos squawked loudly, and Pikachu sat up to have a look too.

"Pi_ka_chu pika pika. _Pi_ pikachu."

Amber scrunched her face up in confusion. "What did he say?"

Misty smiled. "He was talking to Zapdos," she explained. "I think he said 'it's no problem. Anytime'."

"That's sweet," Amber smiled, then promptly fell asleep on Misty's shoulder.

Jenny grabbed a blanket and carefully wrapped it around Misty and Amber.

"It's a long flight to Celadon City," she smiled. "You should get some rest too. You've earned it. Don't worry about a thing, my cousin Jenny is taking care of everything."

"Thanks," Misty smiled back, then almost instantly fell asleep too.


	14. The Elite Four

It was surprisingly quiet in Indigo Plateau, given everything that had happened recently. The wild weather had cleared quickly and the damage done to houses and shops was now rudely apparent, but there really weren't as many people around as Misty thought there would be. It was almost spooky, even though the sun was shining bright and hot in the afternoon sky. She wouldn't have batted an eyelash if a tumbleweed rolled past her at any moment, such was the depth of the quiet.

"What's going on?" Amber asked to no one in particular. "This town is dead."

"People are still scared," Sabrina replied. "They were hit especially hard here, harder than anywhere else. A lot of people have left, everyone else is out of sight."

"I don't like it," Ash said sternly. "Something feels very wrong here."

"Your insights serve you well," Sabrina told him. "Something is indeed not right."

"It can't be good if everyone in town can feel it," Gary added. "It's bad enough that our resident psychic can feel something's wrong."

"CJ's intelligence must be good," Erika frowned. "That's…bad."

'CJ' was what people were calling Officer Jenny these days, which stood for 'Celadon Jenny'. Amber had decided that given her ongoing involvement in the Rocket United disaster, it was easier to give her a nickname that distinguished her from all the other Jennies than to just keep calling her 'Officer Jenny' all the time. It caught on pretty quickly, and even the other Jennies from different towns were calling her 'CJ'.

She'd been appointed by the Kanto Police Commissioner as the director of a new taskforce with the sole purpose of investigating and eliminating the Rocket United remnant empire. Her first act as Director was to appoint Misty, Amber, Ash, Brock, Sabrina, Erika, Gary, James and Meowth as field agents. Two weeks had passed since Jessie had been defeated at Shamouti Island, and CJ hadn't been able to get anything useful out of her during interrogations. She'd been relying on intelligence gathered by police officers and detectives as well as members of the public to piece together what had happened and what was still happening. Rocket United hadn't fallen apart in Jessie's absence like most people assumed they would, but had instead kept up their hold on the cities and towns of the world, enforcing the same curfew with the same militant presence as before.

She'd received a tip-off from a Nurse Joy in Indigo Plateau that although things had been unusually quiet, there seemed to be a lot of things happening at the Pokémon League headquarters, and an increase in the number of Rocket United grunts in the city. People had been coming and going from Pokémon League HQ day and night – mostly members of Rocket United. Given the danger of heading into a Rocket-held town with very few civilians around, CJ had though it prudent to send the whole team.

They'd reached the building and were staying out of sight for the moment. They watched for a few minutes, but couldn't see anyone arriving or leaving. Several cars were parked out the front, but there was no sign of any Rocket United grunts.

"Let's go," Ash said quietly, getting to his feet, but Erika grabbed him by the arm and yanked him back down again.

"Are you mad?" she chastised him. "This needs to be _discreet_. We can't just get up and march on in. We have no idea how to approach this yet."

"What's the worst that could happen?" he argued. "I can take care of myself. If Misty could beat those grunts no problem, then I shouldn't have any problem either."

"You moron, you don't even know who's in there," Gary scolded. "It could be trap city inside that building, and you wanna charge in like a SWAT team? See that thing up there on the side of the building?" He pointed at the building, right towards a security camera. "They'll see us if we walk straight out. We need a plan."

"Gary's right, we can't be seen approaching," Misty agreed. "Amber, you're the agent among us. How do we get inside?"

Amber frowned in concentration for a few moments, looking around at the building and the surrounding area.

"The cameras are all pointing away from the entrance to catch people approaching, but I'll bet there's more inside the foyer. There's a side entrance I can see that doesn't have a camera watching it. I'd send two through the front doors, the rest all enter from the side. They'll have to break the lock on the door, and quietly. They'll see two people entering through the front, but they won't know the rest of us are here as well."

"Forgive me for asking, but shouldn't we just take out the electricity grid?" Brock asked. "Surely that'd eliminate the need to be overly stealthy."

"The security system runs on a generator," James told him. "All we'd do is turn off the lights."

"Damn," Brock deadpanned.

"And once we're in?" Gary asked.

"Split into pairs," Misty said. "Erika, you're with Gary. Head to the water field and find Lorelei. Brock, you and James go and find Bruno. Ash, you and Sabrina go through the front door and find Agatha. Amber and I will look for Lance. Remember, we're just here to find them and talk to them. We don't know if CJ's intel on this is right or not, but we can't take the chance that it's not. Be prepared for a fight, and _don't_ go easy on them. They _are_ the Elite Four, after all. Meowth, once you're inside split up from the rest of us and prepare a trap in case we get in trouble. Stay out of sight – watch for cameras."

"You got it, Red," Meowth replied confidently.

"I'm ready for anything," Ash grinned. "What about you, Pikachu?"

"Chu!" Pikachu agreed, his electric sacs sparking in anticipation.

"Let's just hope CJ's info is wrong and they're not even here," Gary said sombrely. "With Ash around, I kinda feel like I'm the only one who doesn't wanna have to battle the Elite Four."

"Up until recently, I was just a gym leader," Erika agreed. "There's a reason we're not called 'The Elite Eight'. I certainly don't want to have to battle them."

"Are you guys for real?" Ash asked in disbelief. "A chance to battle the _Elite Four!_ I hope they're here, and I hope they're _bad_."

"_Pi_ka!" Pikachu enthused, feeding off Ash's enthusiasm.

"You do realise we're here to get answers about an act of terrorism that caused the death or disappearance of hundreds of people, right?" Amber asked. "We're not here for a Pokémon battle."

"Don't worry about him," Gary smirked. "Once we're inside he'll be all business…if he doesn't trip over something and loudly give us all away."

"That's why Misty sent me with him," Sabrina grinned.

"Besides, trippin' over stuff is Jimmy's job," Meowth added. "He don't need no help with that."

"And being distracted by anything round is _his_ job," James retorted angrily. "Just pray that the Pokémon League don't leave balls of twine lying around or Meowth's part of the plan will be to roll around and be utterly useless! He's ruined countless Team Rocket plans that way!"

"And how many times has your total stupidity ruined everything?" Meowth argued.

"About half as many times as your ridiculous machines were blown up by that Pikachu!" James returned fire, pointing at a bewildered Pikachu.

"How come I have to go with those two?" Brock frowned, his arms folded across his chest.

"Everyone shut up!" Erika commanded, raising her voice slightly, but still remaining quiet enough not to give away their position. "This is a serious operation. We need to focus!"

Misty smiled to herself. Even though the situation was very intense, hearing everyone talking, laughing, fighting and joking brought back a flood of memories from her travelling days. James and Meowth bickering, Ash getting overexcited about inappropriate Pokémon battles, Brock complaining about everyone else's childishness, Gary making fun of Ash…it was like coming home after being away for years and years, and finding everything was exactly where you left it.

_If Brock hit on one of the girls right now, it'd be perfect._

She shook her head, clearing her mind so she could refocus on the job at hand.

"So everyone knows what they've gotta do?" Misty asked.

Everyone nodded or voiced their affirmatives.

"Good," she grinned. "Then let's go get some answers."

* * *

Ash confidently pushed the doors open, holding them for Sabrina who stepped in after him. They strolled around the foyer, looking for any sign of recent activity, finding only some itineraries scattered at the front desk.

"It's just grunt movements," Ash told Sabrina. "Mostly grunts travelling from other places in Kanto to Indigo Plateau."

"That explains the increased Rocket United presence here recently," Sabrina replied softly. "Come on, the Elite Four's battlefields are this way."

She led the way through some back corridors, stopping at one point along a dark corridor and holding up Ash, who almost walked right into her.

"Hey, what's up with the sudden stoppage?" he asked loudly.

"Shh!"

"Maybe I should be shushing you!" he retorted, a little annoyed. "There's no one here anyway, and if there was, your dominatrix catsuit constantly squeaking every time you move would have given us away by now. Not exactly sneaky. Not to mention your noisy-ass boots clopping away on the floor. It's like following a Ponyta."

"If you don't shut up, I'll kick you like a Ponyta," Sabrina whispered. "I'm concentrating. Psychic, remember?"

"I'm telling you, there's no one here!" Ash said loudly.

Pikachu shook his head in disappointment, then placed a paw over his own mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud as Ash's head was shoved by an invisible force right into Sabrina's sizable cleavage. Ash let out a muffled protest as Sabrina again tried to concentrate on using her Psychic powers. After a second, Ash stopped protesting.

"See? You _can_ be quiet when you want to," Sabrina smirked, then sighed. "The things I do to get my way…honestly."

She closed her eyes and concentrated deeply as Ash began to try pushing himself away from Sabrina's chest. His efforts became more and more frantic until suddenly he was launched backwards onto the ground, totally breathless. He panted loudly a few times, catching his breath as Sabrina giggled softly at him.

"I got the message pretty quickly, you know," Ash complained. "Next time you can let me go a little sooner. You trying to kill me?"

Sabrina's giggling immediately swapped for fierceness as she knelt down on his neck. Ash struggled, grabbing at her leg as she put more weight down on him.

"I don't need psychic powers to kill you," she told him. "Now stay quiet, or next time I shut you up I'll use something far less pleasant for you than my boobs. And don't act like you're not enjoying this, because I'm psychic and I _know_ you are."

She got to her feet again, her shiny catsuit squeaking noisily, and used her powers to raise Ash to his feet as well.

"There are most certainly some people here," she told him. "I count thirteen, including us. Do the math."

"The elite four are here," Ash deduced.

"Well done," she rolled her eyes. "You're smarter than you look."

"I am?" Ash asked innocently.

"No. Now let's go. Agatha is through that door. It's the back entrance to her battlefield. Pikachu, get ready to blast something."

Pikachu responded by sparking his cheeks, before Sabrina telekinetically opened the door slowly and quietly. Ash stepped through, feeling a sudden cold rush through him before he fainted without notice. Sabrina grunted angrily as she gently lowered him, then woke him up.

"What the hell was that?" he asked loudly and in total confusion.

"Agatha's Gengar," she answered. "We're expected."

"Right you are, Sabrina," came a cackling voice from the far end of the battlefield. "I know why you're here, too. Problem is, what do I do with you?"

"You can politely answer my questions," Sabrina demanded. "Why are you associating yourselves with Rocket United?"

Agatha laughed again, the high-pitched cackling filling the enormous enclosed battlefield.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear."

Sabrina telekinetically lifted Agatha off the ground and roughly yanked her from the other side of the battlefield until she was six inches away, then slowly raised her off the ground a little further.

"After this I stop being polite," Sabrina told her coldly. "Why are you associating yourselves with Rocket United?"

"You think your TK tricks scare me?" Agatha laughed. "I'm a ghost trainer."

Despite Sabrina's best efforts, Agatha slowly descended to the ground, an arrogant grin on her weathered face.

"Do your worst," Agatha taunted.

"You got it," Ash sneered. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Six feet above Agatha!"

Pikachu instantly blasted out a powerful Thunderbolt exactly where Ash had told him to, and it struck the until-now invisible Gengar dead-on. The surprised Gengar was sent flying dozens of feet away, sliding along the ground until it struck the far wall.

"Clever," Agatha admitted. "But if that's all you've got then this match is already over. Gengar, Night Shade!"

Pikachu shrieked in fright, totally paralysed with fear, then squealed in pain as he was brought to his knees. His cries became louder as the pain got worse, eventually becoming too much for him. Ash ran out to grab his unconscious friend but was tripped and fell flat on his face. As he rolled onto his back he'd already grabbed Wartortle's pokéball, releasing him and catching Agatha off guard.

"Hydro Pump!" he commanded, and Wartortle obliged with a powerful torrent of water that struck Gengar hard, launching it into the far wall again.

"Ash, recall your Wartortle. He's about to get seriously hurt," Sabrina warned.

"My ass, he is," Ash spat. "Did you not see Wartortle blast Gengar across the battlefield?"

"DO IT!" she yelled.

"No way!"

"You should have listened to your friend," Agatha cackled. "Gengar! Night Shade!"

Wartortle screamed just like Pikachu did, before he too fell to his knees and passed out from the pain.

"Whoa! That's some Night Shade!" Ash admitted. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Your Pikachu and Wartortle are incredibly powerful too," Agatha told him. "You've done well training them. You are indeed a gifted young trainer. But now you're facing the _Elite Four_. You don't have a chance. And I can't let you escape."

Both Ash and Sabrina felt the sudden cold again before Ash was knocked out once more. Sabrina managed to stay away, but this didn't seem to bother Agatha.

"You're such a talented Psychic," she told Sabrina. "If you spent as much time practising your skills as you do your seduction, you'd be unstoppable."

Agatha's Haunter suddenly appeared right in front of her face, startling her, before performing another Night Shade attack that instantly knocked her out cold.

* * *

"Lance's field is right here, on your right," James told Misty and Amber. "Good luck."

Misty gave him a little peck on the cheek as she followed Amber through the door. The rest of them followed behind him as they quietly made their way down the dark, winding corridor, except for Meowth, who'd already disappeared to begin his snooping around. After a few hundred yards they stopped again.

"This is our stop," he told Brock, then turned to Erika and Gary. "All the way to the end is where you'll find Lorelei. It's the last door along this hallway."

"Thankyou, James," Erika said, giving his hand a little squeeze. "Be careful, okay?"

"I'll do what I must," he told her. "It's nice, you know. Having people that care about your wellbeing. So this is what the good side feels like, huh?"

"You're a bona fide good-guy now," Gary smiled. "We'll see you soon."

Gary and Erika continued down the hall as James and Brock stepped through a door into a huge open battlefield, at least two hundred by five hundred feet.

"This is just like my gym, only much bigger," Brock noted.

"That's because it's modelled on your gym," a massive, booming voice replied.

"Master Bruno," Brock called back. "It's an honour. I had no idea my gym had made such an impact on you."

"It's too bad you weren't there when I visited," he smiled broadly, walking briskly but casually towards them. He wore his typical outfit, which was a white shitabaki and black obi.

"I must have been travelling," he told him. "My father was looking after the gym."

"His son is a lot more talented than he is," Bruno laughed. "After our meeting in the mountains, I was actually looking forward to battling you. I was a little disappointed when you weren't there. So, what brings you here today? And who's your friend?"

"Well, we actually came to speak with you, Master Bruno," Brock answered. "This is my friend James. He's been real keen to meet you."

"It's a real pleasure, Master Bruno, sir," James said politely.

"Haha! Forget that 'sir' business. I'm no school teacher!" Bruno chuckled. "Nice to meet you, James!"

James cringed slightly as he shook Bruno's massive hand, and almost had his crushed into dust.

"So, what did you wanna talk about?"

"To be honest," Brock sighed, "we've been hearing some pretty awful rumours that you and the other Elite Four members have been recently associated with Rocket United."

"That bunch of terrorists?" Bruno asked, seemingly confused. "Why would I have anything to do with them? I'm a Pokémon trainer."

"We were kind of hoping you'd be able to tell us that, Master Bruno," James replied.

"I don't know what to tell you guys," Bruno shrugged. "I don't really know anything about them. I was away doing some hard training with my Pokémon, and when I came back the town was like this. You probably know more about it than I do. I wish I'd been here sooner, I could have helped kick them out."

"When did you get back?" Brock asked.

"Oh about a week ago now."

James and Brock looked at each other.

"Rocket United goons have been in and out of here a lot since then, according to Nurse Joy," Brock said. "You sure you don't know anything about them?"

Bruno sighed, then slowly stepped towards them, shrugging and chuckling. He stepped between them and put a massive arm around each of them, encouraging them to walk with him.

"I'm really sorry, guys," he said. "I wish I could do more to help out. But hey, at least let me get you something before you leave. You hungry? Thirsty?"

"We're not leaving," Brock said defiantly. "You know more than you're telling us, Master."

Bruno chuckled some more, then reached his arms a little further around James and Brock's necks. Before either of them could figure out what he was doing, he snapped them both up in a choke hold. Both of them struggled, but Bruno was so massive and strong there was nothing they could do.

"Sorry Brock, I really like you. You're a good kid, but this is bigger than you. It's bigger even than me. I can't let you get in the way. I don't wanna do this to you, but you left me with no choice. At least this way you might not get hurt."

Brock managed to get his hand to Onix's pokéball, but as he went to release Onix, his consciousness faded into darkness.

* * *

Gary could only just hear the music from behind the soundproof door. As he opened it, the music became much louder, almost at night club volumes. Suddenly the music was turned down. Gary and Erika looked at each other.

"I was rather hoping to be a little subtler than that," Erika grimaced.

"Erika! Hi!"

Lorelei called out from the other side of the battlefield. She waved at them both before making her way over. Gary noticed her walk immediately; it was a sexy walk, purposefully drawing both Gary and Erika's eyes to her hips. The fact that she wore a typically-Lorelei outfit certainly didn't help matters. Unlike Gary's semi-baggy jeans and t-shirt combination, or Erika's conservative ankle-length skirt and blouse, Lorelei wore high heels, a tiny black miniskirt, revealing miles of leg, and a low-cut top that showed off enough cleavage to make Misty and Sabrina blush. Both her miniskirt and top were corset-tight, but Lorelei always dressed this way. Gary had never met her before though, and knew very little about her, so his eyes just about popped out of his head. Erika, on the other hand, was well aware of Lorelei's reputation as a notorious seductress of both men and women, and had purposefully not told Gary anything to ensure she was entertained. She had agreed with Misty and Sabrina that if Lorelei believed she had Gary wrapped around her finger, she might drop her guard a little.

_Poor Gary_, she thought. _I really hope this works_.

"I had no idea you were coming! I would have prepared!"

"It's fine, Lorelei, we aren't staying long anyway," she answered with a smile.

"Oh," Lorelei said, a little taken back. "Well, what brings you both here? You're…"

She stopped mid-sentence, trying to think of who Erika's partner was.

"Don't tell me, I know this," she told them. "Gary Oak? The professor's grandson, right?"

"That's right, um, Miss Lorelei," Gary answered, almost tripping over his own words nervously.

Lorelei giggled like a schoolgirl, stepping towards him with her sexy walk. Gary's eyes were drawn down as she stepped right up close to him, which made her giggle a little more. She lightly placed a finger under his chin and raised it up. Gary blushed as Lorelei winked at him.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"He's cute," she said to Erika. "Please tell me you two are at least interested in each other. You'd be adorable together."

"Actually," Erika interrupted, clearing her throat, "we need to ask you something."

"Okay, what would you like to know?"

Erika elbowed Gary, who gathered his wits as best as he could.

"Oh, um, there's been rumours going around that you guys have some business with Rocket United. Tell me that's not true?"

"Rocket United?" Lorelei rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"That's strange, because they've been spotted going in and out of this building by Nurse Joy."

"Is that so?" Lorelei smirked.

She stepped towards Gary again, inching closer and closer until her breasts were pressing against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing softly against his skin, then whispered into his ear.

"You don't think I had anything to do with that, do you?"

"N-no…I guess not…"

"You're not in any trouble, Lorelei. We're not police," Erika told her, starting to get a little annoyed.

Lorelei laughed, throwing her head back slightly as she yanked Gary's head down, mashing his face into her ample cleavage and holding it there.

"No, you're not police," she smiled sultrily at Erika. "But you _are_ agents. I know all about Officer Jenny's taskforce."

Erika's eyes went wide as she realised they were all being played.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Lorelei giggled.

"Misty and Sabrina thought letting you seduce Gary would lower your guard a little," Erika admitted. "It hasn't worked, has it?"

"Oh it worked," Lorelei told her with a trademark seductive smile. "But not quite in the way that you hoped. Let me show you."

She lifted Gary's chin again, then nibbled on his earlobe.

"Don't go anywhere," she whispered.

She put her arm around Erika's waist and led her to a poolside sunbathing chair, where she sat down, not quite knowing what to expect. Lorelei sat down next to her – _right_ next to her, almost on top of her – and crossed her legs, dangling one over Erika. She traced her foot up Erika's legs, lifting her skirt a little as she placed a hand behind her head, gently tilting it down. Erika couldn't help but look straight down her top, then closed her eyes and quickly looked away.

"Don't fight it," Lorelei whispered, "I know you don't want to."

With her other hand she gently stroked the back of Erika's neck, then ran her fingers down her shoulder and chest, gently brushing her breasts. Erika shuddered, but it was a pleasant shudder. She looked up from Lorelei's bulging chest into her eyes, framed by her pretty crimson hair. Lorelei removed her glasses and tossed them aside as she leant in and kissed Erika slowly and sensually.

Gary stood perfectly still, his eyes popping out of their sockets and his jaw dropped.

As they pulled away, Erika shuddered again.

"Oh my," she breathed.

"See? Someone's lowered their guard, but I'm afraid it isn't me," Lorelei whispered.

Erika suddenly felt light-headed, collapsing into Lorelei's arms. Lorelei gently lowered her onto the pool chair and got to her feet. She turned to face Gary, wearing her sexiest smile, then strutted over to him.

"Hey…what happened to Erika?" he asked. "What did you do?"

"Let me show you," she smiled.

"No, wait – don't come any closer," Gary told her, grabbing hold of Umbreon's pokéball. "You did something to her."

"I kissed her, that's all," she said innocently. "I guess it was a really, really good kiss."

"Bullshit!" he said. "Erika's not even into girls. How did you do that?"

"Didn't stop you from watching and dribbling, now did it?"

Gary self-consciously wiped his chin, allowing Lorelei to take a few steps towards him.

"Don't fight me," she said softly, "there's so many other things we can do."

She took Gary's hands as she stepped right up close to him again, pressing her body against his. She took the pokéball from him and put it back in his belt, then placed his hands on her butt.

"Isn't that a whole lot better than battling?"

Gary gave her a few gentle squeezes, then shook himself off as he remembered Erika, passed out on the pool chair. He stepped away from her again.

"Stop it!" he told her. "Answer me! What did you do to Erika?"

Lorelei sighed. "I promise I'll tell you everything, Gary," she said, stepping towards him once more. She placed both hands lightly on his chest and traced them slowly and lightly downwards with her fingernails. "I didn't want anything to do with this, I swear. I have no choice, though."

Gary gulped as Lorelei's fingers reached lower and lower.

"Please…stop doing that…just tell me what's happening and we'll be on our way."

"Sit down, over here," she said softly, gesturing towards another pool chair.

They sat down next to each other, Lorelei crossing her legs and interlocking them with Gary's.

"Do you have to do that?" he asked, nervous sweat beading on his forehead.

"Shh…it's okay," she whispered, lightly brushing his cheek with her lips. "Just relax, everything's going to be fine."

"But you haven't told me –"

He stopped speaking as Lorelei reached down further than before, teasing him as she began lightly running the tip of her tongue around his ear.

"Just relax…" she whispered.

Gary felt his heart rate go up as Lorelei gently encouraged him to sit back in the pool chair. She swung one leg over him, sitting on his lap and straddling him as she leaned forwards, placing her breasts in his face again. She softly pressed them down, moving her hips around in his lap at the same time. Gary had completely forgotten about everything he was here to do, totally lost in the moment.

"So much easier than battling…" she whispered.

She lifted her breasts away from his face, grabbing Gary's hands and placing them on her butt again.

"Go on," she whispered softly in his ear. "Just enjoy this…it's okay."

Gary submitted, and started squeezing her butt as she softly brushed her lips across his cheek. As she reached his mouth they started to kiss. Gary was totally consumed by the sexiness of it all, relaxing more and more until he fell asleep.

"I'm not sure I even _need_ Pokémon," Lorelei giggled as she got up, lowering her skirt and fixing her top. "I'm just too good at this."

* * *

"Something's wrong here, Misty," Amber warned her. "We're being watched. I can feel it."

"Me too," she agreed.

"Get your Pokémon ready, I think we're gonna have to be prepared."

Both girls grabbed a pokéball and held it at the ready as they stepped up to the stairs that led to Lance's battlefield. As they ascended slowly, they watched all sides, not sure what to expect.

"At last, the Jessie League champion emerges," Lance bellowed. "And Amber too. So good of you both to come."

"Why is that?" Misty asked, still cautiously monitoring their surroundings as they reached the top of the stairs.

Lance sat in a sort of throne at the other end of the battlefield, elevated by a dozen more stairs. He remained seated as the girls approached, stopping at the edge of the marked boundaries of the battlefield.

"Can't I be happy to see one of the best trainers in the world?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Our intelligence suggests you're far from happy to see us," Amber replied.

"I know, I know, Nurse Joy squealed on us," he smirked. "Don't worry, we're taking care of her."

"What did you do?" Misty asked forcefully.

"I _said_, don't worry."

"This is bullshit," Amber spat, releasing her Ninetales. "Talk to us, or this won't end well for you."

Lance laughed, a roaring bellow that filled the whole gigantic room. Misty released her chosen Pokémon too, a new Raichu she'd been training.

"And here I was expecting a water Pokémon. Finally branching out, are you?"

"Speak for yourself, dragon-master," Misty replied defiantly.

"I'm the leader of the Elite Four," Lance smirked as he stood up and descended the stairs towards the battlefield. "Frankly, you two are beneath me. Even together, I'll crush you."

"You've fallen a long way, Lance," Misty told him. "You four were heroes of the people. Everyone looked up to you."

"Then Rocket United came along, took over everything, kidnapped and killed people, almost destroyed the whole world," Amber continued. "And where were you?"

"Not that it's any of your business," Lance answered, "but the least I can do is tell you why I have to kill you, before I do."

"Give it your best shot," Amber goaded him. "I've survived worse than you, and I _still_ became one of the good guys. Doesn't say much for you, does it? How much does it cost to buy an Elite Four member?"

"You of all people have no business lecturing me about morality, Amber Gibson," Lance spat. "You betrayed this girl; you seduced her, made her want you, then lured her into a trap. How many did you betray before her? And for what? A higher position in Rocket United? You're pathetic. You're beneath my contempt, Gibson."

"Oh you're finished now," Amber said in rage. "Ninetales! Fl –"

"–Amber, hold on," Misty interrupted, then turned her attention back to Lance. "Tell you what, _Lance_," she seethed. "You tell us what you were going to say, and we'll come quietly. How does that sound?"

"Like a lie," Lance laughed. "But seeing as you literally have no chance, okay, why not."

Amber was fuming, and Misty knew it. Inside, Misty was fuming too. What Lance said cut both girls, particularly Amber, to the bone. Amber had been manipulated into her position within Team Rocket, then raped and tortured the one time she'd failed to produce results. The only reason she'd failed was that she'd fallen in love with Misty, and her redemption after betraying her was the only thing keeping her going. Misty knew all this, and wanted to give her every chance to succeed again and become an honourable person. Words like Lance's made the otherwise poker-faced former undercover agent fall into a raging spiral of hatred and self-loathing, and the only thing worse than watching her crumble was forcing her to take it and do nothing. She wanted to let Amber charge at Lance and kick the unholy ass out of him, but she knew that not only would Lance defeat her, but they'd learn nothing in the process and potentially risk any chance of escape.

"We saw what the world was becoming," he began. "The crime teams were being defeated – good thing, right? – but in their place stood the corrupt governments of the world. They pretty much outlawed us, banned powerful Pokémon trainers from having any input in almost everything. They said we'd become too influential, that governing was better left to governments, then they took away our funding and spoiled our reputations. We weren't even allowed to assist the police anymore.

"The last straw was when they changed the Pokémon League competition rules so that the winner of the tournament became a 'Pokémon Master'. We were pretty much stricken from the history books, no longer valid or even remembered. All that we've achieved, all we've become, now amounts to _nothing_."

"Sad story," Amber said sarcastically. "So you were angry because you lost your job. Boo hoo."

"We were the _pinnacle_ of achievement for Pokémon trainers _everywhere!_" Lance thundered. "No one could touch us! We were a symbol for all trainers and their Pokémon everywhere! Only the very best of the best of the best ever got to battle with us, and even fewer people actually won. The list of Pokémon Masters in the history of Kanto – of the whole _world_ – is a very, very short one. Now it gets longer every year, and to _unworthy_ trainers. And nobody seemed to care. So we decided as a group that we'd take back the recognition we so richly deserve."

"You needed the crime teams back," Misty observed.

"Yes," Lance confirmed. "But not just Team Rocket or any of the others by themselves, we needed a worldwide gang. Something big enough to take the entire globe. They wouldn't listen to me, or any of the others."

"But they'd listen to Jessie," Amber added.

"Exactly. Jessie was easy to manipulate. She was so self-absorbed, convinced that the world had done her wrong, she jumped at the chance to be the big bad. At first, she did a great job; she far exceeded our expectations. Within a few months she'd already united all the teams under the Rocket United banner with almost zero personnel losses, created an identity for them across the whole world, a uniform that instilled fear in anyone who saw it, taken some major opposition – like your friend Mr Ketchum – completely out of the picture, and completed funded the whole venture using Giovanni's extensive wealth.

"Then she got her own agenda and started doing stupid things, like the tournament, and using the legendary birds."

"I thought they seemed a little pointless," Misty said to Amber.

"We had what we wanted already, holding a tournament only encouraged people to rebel. We let it slide because we wanted to see if anyone was worthy of actually challenging us. Turns out, all the world had to offer was you, Misty. How disappointing. A local gym leader, from Cerulean City, using borrowed Pokémon. May as well have been Ms Gibson."

Amber's blood boiled again, and Misty had to tap her on the wrist to remind her to keep her cool.

"When she started with the legendary birds, we were about ready to step in. Then you came along and made sure that ridiculous plan never went ahead. But with the Rocket United forces in place in every major city and town in the world, and Jessie taken out of the picture, it's all ours to exploit."

"We thought we were saving the world…but we only made things worse," Misty realised.

"I guess I should really thank you," Lance grinned slyly. "You've done all our dirty work for us, and all we have to do is walk in and take all the credit. Imagine the world being 'saved' from Rocket United by the Elite Four. We'll be heroes in the eyes of everyone. Then we promise the world the kind of peace and prosperity that its governments can't possibly provide."

"Rocket United…" Misty said softly, in shock.

"They'll be known as the 'Elite Force' by then," Lance smirked.

"Cute name for a bunch of bastards," Amber seethed.

"It doesn't matter what you think, the process is already in place. It's just a matter of time before we finally get the recognition and power we deserve. The world will be in awe of the Elite Four once again."

"Cool story," Amber hissed. "I'll make sure I tell CJ every word of it after I kick your ass."

"I'll hold him down for you," Misty said firmly. "Raichu, Thunder attack!"

"Ninetales, Flamethrower!"

Lance quickly released an Aerodactyl, which instinctively shielded him from the blasts, barely taking any damage.

"Aerodactyl, Rock Slide!" he commanded.

"Raichu, Ninetales, Agility!" Misty yelled.

Both Pokémon reacted instantly, sprinting around the battlefield at top speed as Aerodactyl ripped up chunks of the rocks scattered around the battlefield and hurled them. Raichu was fast, especially for a newly evolved Pokémon, but she couldn't keep up with Amber's Ninetales. She'd only had a little over a week to train her, and she just wasn't experienced enough yet. Misty's efforts to diversify her team were currently working against her, but she knew if she tried to recall Raichu, the little orange Pokémon would have to slow down first – then she'd be butchered by Aerodactyl.

Unfortunately, Aerodactyl was _very_ experienced, and was well-versed in countering Agility. The rocks were being hurled in front of the two Pokémon, forcing them to change direction. Misty and Amber didn't notice at first, and by the time Misty finally did notice it was too late.

"Raichu, you're being herded! Leap into the –"

She was interrupted by a shrill squeal as Raichu was struck by a supersonic rock and instantly knocked unconscious.

"Misty, recall her before he kills her," Amber told her.

"Right – Raichu, return!"

Aerodactyl was about to pulverise Raichu when it quickly changed direction and with lightning-fast speed stopped right in front of Ninetales.

"Wing attack!" Lance shouted.

Aerodactyl slammed a powerful wing into Ninetales' side, launching it across the battlefield, skidding into Amber and knocking her over. Misty rushed over and helped her up as she returned Ninetales to his pokéball, but as soon as both girls got to their feet Aerodactyl was all over them.

"Bring them to me," Lance ordered.

Aerodactyl grabbed them both in its talons, crushing their torsos, and flew over to Lance, dropping them at his feet. At that moment, the other Elite Four members appeared, their Pokémon carrying Misty and Amber's unconscious friends, and dropped them beside the two girls. All four Elite Four members then ascended the stairs and looked down on the group with arrogant grins.

"I'm glad you know the future that awaits this world," Lance boomed down at them. "It makes it so much more satisfying seeing the despair in your faces before you're removed permanently."

Misty and Amber quickly got to work reviving the others, slapping their faces and begging them to wake up.

"That's right," Agatha cackled. "They should be awake for this too. Allow me to assist you."

Agatha's Gengar flew straight through the unconscious bodies of James, Brock, Sabrina, Ash, Erika and Gary, waking them instantly and in fright.

"What's going on?" Ash shouted.

"We thought you should be awake for your final moments," Bruno told him. "I kinda liked you, kid. But it's for the best."

"Never forget about da talking Meowth!" came a voice over the facility's PA. "You lose, morons! Say goodnight!"

Suddenly the elevated platform the Elite Four were standing on became soaking wet. Misty looked up and noticed Meowth had turned on the sprinklers. Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha and Lance looked up as well, a moment before the throne Lance had been sitting on exploded, shorting out and electrifying the whole podium. The Elite Four were shocked unconscious, falling to the ground and tumbling down the stairs.

"Hurry up and escape already!" Meowth told them.

Misty and Amber gathered up the group and hurried them along, running down the stairs and out the door as quickly as they could. In less than a minute they were outside again. Ash and Erika stopped to catch their breath, but Misty grabbed them both.

"Come _on!_" she yelled. "There's no time, we have to get outta here!"

A van pulled up in front of them as they reached the road, and the door slid open to reveal Professor Oak.

"Quickly! Hop in!" he said.

As the last of them got inside, Oak slammed the door shut and the van took off.

"Is everyone okay?" the driver asked. Misty recognised the voice as CJs.

"We're good," Gary answered, out of breath. "A little banged up, but good."

"It was a trap, CJ," Amber told her. "They were waiting for us. We never had a chance."

"That's bad news," CJ replied sadly. "Someone told them you were coming."

"But who?" Brock asked. "Who would do that?"

"Jessie," James said sternly. "She's the only one."

"But how could she? She's not part of this," Erika said.

"Actually…" CJ started. "I told her about the plan, thinking she might be able to assist us. She didn't, of course. She didn't even utter a single word throughout the whole interrogation. I figured she's in custody, she can't do anything. She must have gotten word out somehow."

"Or worse, escaped," Misty muttered.

"Indeed," CJ agreed. "Let's focus on the positives for now, though. Did you learn anything from the Elite Four?"

"The whole thing has been their idea from the beginning," Amber told them all. "They started this to get back at everyone for taking away their fame and fortune. The used Jessie to unite the crime teams, and they were gonna pretend to defeat them so everyone thinks they're heroes."

"Then they were gonna use them as their own personal police force to keep everyone in line while they take over the world," Misty finished.

"We're the only ones who know that," Ash deduced. "They can still do all of those things."

"Not if we ruin their reputation first," James suggested. "We can have a press conference, and tell the whole world."

"I'm afraid we can't," CJ told him. "This mission is classified. We don't want the whole world knowing all about this, not just yet. The only person we can tell outside of our own group is the Police Commissioner, and he won't believe us."

"And I'm betting those four assholes know that," Amber cursed. "If we went and told him that the Elite Four are behind everything, he'd ask for proof, which we don't have. Then he'd tell us to get back to work and find the real culprits."

"She's exactly right," CJ sighed. "I'm afraid we need proof first."

"But we need to stop the Elite Four before they go ahead with their plan!" Ash exclaimed.

"Then it's a good thing we have four teams of talented Pokémon trainers," Misty said firmly. "We can do this, but we have to do it smart. This is big, guys. Much bigger than just fighting off the Rockets and competing in a tournament."

"Well said, Misty," CJ agreed. "We need to regroup back at Celadon and think this through."

"I'll bring in some additional experts, if that's okay," Professor Oak offered. "I know some people, friends of mine, that could be very useful to us."

"That would be outstanding, thankyou Professor."

Misty sighed, looking at the others.

"Looks like this whole mess is only just beginning."

The whole group seemed a little deflated, but not defeated. Not by a long way.

_We've gone through things like this before, and we always came out on top. This will be no different, _Misty thought to herself as Amber rested her head on her shoulder and locked their fingers. She gave her hand a little squeeze as they all settled in for the long journey back to Celadon City.


End file.
